Darwin Núñez and about a dozen of his Uruguay teammates entered the stands as fans brawled at Bank of America Stadium following Uruguay's 1-0 loss to Colombia in a Copa América semifinal on Wednesday night before security personnel intervened to restore order.
After Colombia sealed a 1-0 victory in Charlotte, North Carolina, videos on social media showed Uruguay players climbing into the stands and exchanging blows with opposing fans.
CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football that organises the Copa, said it is investigating the incident and issued the following statement after the match: “CONMEBOL strongly condemns any act of violence that affects football.
“Our work is based on the belief that football connects us and unites us through its positive values.”
Among the players involved in the brawl were Uruguayan players Núñez and Ronald Araújo. Captain José María Giménez said the players were trying to defend their families.
“Let me tell you something before they cut you off because they won't let us talk on the microphone, they don't want me to say anything about what's happening but this is a disaster,” Gimenez said in the official broadcast. “Please be careful, our families are in the stands, there are little newborn babies. It was a disaster, there were no police and we had to defend our families.”
“The fault lies with two or three people who have drunk too much and don't know how to drink.”
Players and staff from both Colombia and Uruguay were also involved in a scuffle on the pitch after the final whistle.
“I thought the incident ended with some discussion in midfield and when I saw that I went to the locker room,” Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa told a news conference.
“I thought they were thanking fans for their support. But then I found out that unfortunately there were some issues there.”
Jefferson Lerma's first-half header gave Colombia a place in Sunday's final against Argentina. Uruguay will play Canada in the third-place match.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this story.
