Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa had some strong criticism of CONMEBOL after his side’s chaos-struck Copa America semi-final clash against Colombia on July 11. A fight broke out between Uruguay players and a section of hostile Colombia fans at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Thursday after their high-value semi-final. Liverpool star Darwin Nunez was amongst the ones who were seen punching fans in the stands during the ugly post-match scenes.
Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo and Atletico Madrid’s Jose Maria Gimenez were also seen standing alongside Nunez when the fight broke out. Security officials and police officers rushed to calm the situation down and escort the players away from the scene. A few players, including Nunez, returned to the field and met their families, who reportedly were abused by a section of fans. Apart from the brawl that broke out. Bielsa also highlighted below-par pitch conditions across the Copa America 2024, and how the organisers had misguided the sides throughout the tournament.
“You know whose responsibility it is to protect the fans in the stands. You have to ask me whether the players have received an apology from those responsible for safeguarding security,” Bielsa said.
“The players reacted as any human being would have done if they saw that there was no escape or prevention and they were attacking their wife, mother, a baby…What should they do?… Nobody wants to see a violent reaction, but you have to look at what a reaction is in response to,” Bielsa added.
The Uruguay Football Federation (AUF) also released a statement regarding the issue, which also contained a similar tone of criticism of the tournament organisers.
“This event took place in a context in which the proportion of Uruguayan fans was very small. Most of them were families, and there were insufficient security measures in place,” the AUF said in the statement.
“Given these facts, the players’ behaviour was inevitable and natural,” the statement further said.
It was a disappointing evening for Nunez and Uruguay as they paid the price for not being clinical with their chances in the Copa America semi-final, and they ultimately lost the clash by 1-0.
Published By:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published On:
Jul 13, 2024
Source link : https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/sports/football/story/copa-america-marcelo-beilsa-uruguay-vs-colombia-fans-conembol-mismanagement-2566311-2024-07-13
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Publish date : 2024-07-13 04:04:12
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