Soccer took a backseat to a melee in the stands, unfortunately for victors Colombia.
“They made an avalanche on our entire family, this is a disaster. We had to stand up for our loved ones”
Those were the pleas of defender Jose Maria Gimenez postgame, who witnessed family members of La Celeste, Uruguay players themselves, Colombia fans and organizers scuffle in the stands for more than 10 minutes.
Moments after Colombia closed out a 1-0 victory over Uruguay in the Copa America semifinals in Miami, it all went to chaos. An altercation broke out in the stands that included striker Darwin Nunez, defender Ronald Araujo and others clashing with fans.
Video replays showed that punches were thrown, objects were tossed and people were struck. It was a dangerous and unsettling scene. And one that marred what has been a damn good game.
Colombia showed an incredible amount of heart while down a man, outlasting Uruguay to earn that 1-0 win that sent them to the Copa America final. But what happened post-match certainly dampened what happened during the game.
Valverde’s wife and children run out of crowd
Nunez, Araujo and a several other players could face ramifications, especially after a brawl that seemed to snowball. A video showed Núñez hitting a fan in Colombia team colors, and according to the Associated Press, it took more than 10 minutes for police to restore order. The public address announcer asked for fans to leave the stadium, but several supporters remained.
About 100 Uruguayan fans and members of the federation staff remained on the field more than 20 minutes after the game, while Colombia fans made their way out to celebrate.
Eventually, the focus will return to soccer, and the upcoming clash between Colombia and Argentina with a trophy on the line. Maybe that match will be good enough to establish itself as the defining moment of this tournament, but perhaps not. That unfortunately will probably be Wednesday night’s melee.
It wasn’t supposed to be that way, and it didn’t have to be. It was a sad night after what had been generally entertaining Copa America.