Darwin Nunez has found himself at the centre of a storm, but the Uruguayan FA is standing firmly behind him and his teammates after the chaos that erupted after the Copa America semi-final against Colombia on Wednesday.
Nunez was caught up in a violent clash with fans following the match, as he and other Uruguay players leapt into the stands to protect their families from Colombian supporters who had invaded their section. Marcelo Bielsa, the head coach, didn’t hold back in his criticism of U.S. Soccer, CONMEBOL, and the tournament organizers during an explosive press conference.
The Uruguayan FA has now responded with a comprehensive statement. In a strong response, they defended Nunez and his teammates, with 11 of them being investigated over the incident.
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“The Uruguayan Football Association, given the publicly known events that occurred during the CONMEBOL Copa America semi-final match between Uruguay and Colombia, wishes to make the following comments,” they began. They continued to highlight the impeccable conduct of the Uruguayan delegation throughout their month-long stay in the United States, praising their exemplary behaviour both individually and as a team, as well as their public interactions.
“Respect for the organization, rivals, journalism, security personnel and the general public has been constant, strictly complying with the rules of the tournament based on the traditional values of our country. On Wednesday, under a context of verbal violence, provocations and various attacks that affected all the Uruguayan fans who attended the match in different sectors, a group of Uruguayan fans, located behind the substitutes’ bench and the technical area, were involved in various skirmishes that escalated in temperature until triggering situations in which several families of players and staff members of our team ended up involved.
“Faced with such a situation, and in the context of moments of nervousness and desperation in which women and children were held hostage, several players went up to the stands to intercede for their protection and defence. It is notable that this event occurred in a context in which the proportion of Uruguayan fans was very minority, mostly families, and there were not sufficient security mechanisms for this situation.
“Given these facts, and the lack of security mentioned, it was inevitable and natural the attitude of the players. Once the match was over, all the people involved in the events were evacuated with the collaboration of the authorities, but not before several of them were treated by the health services of the Uruguayan Football Association, which yesterday issued a medical report.
“Regarding the situation experienced in one of the booths where some leaders of the Uruguayan delegation and other fans who accompanied it were located, we must clarify that throughout the match that sector received hostility from the fans who were located adjacent to the just as they did against another group of Uruguayans who were a few meters from their location once the match ended.
“In this context, regrettable exchanges of attacks took place that we strongly condemn and that will be the subject of analysis on our part without prejudice to the sanctions that may apply to our institution based on the open files.
“This Association, in its 124 years of existence, proudly privileges the maximum respect for the norms of citizen conduct. banishing all acts of violence in sports. Unfortunately, the events reported, which violated the healthy concept of family in a framework of lack of protection, generated an unjustified but humanly understandable reaction.”
Bielsa strongly defended his players and claimed they ‘acted as humans’ after seeing their families targeted, and Uruguay defender Jose Maria Gimenez gave an emotional interview once the situation de-escalated. Gimenez slammed the lack of organisation and security presence, which left players, their families, and members of staff in danger.
The Uruguay national team and their FA are united in their stance on the situation, voicing their concerns both for self-protection and to instigate change. Uruguay will be up against Canada in the third-place match on Sunday, while Colombia and Argentina will face off in the final on the same day.