The Uruguayan Football Association released a statement Friday condemning the brawl that occurred during Wednesday’s Copa América semifinal.
Several Uruguayan players went into the stands at the end of their 1-0 loss to Colombia, and it turned ugly when cameras caught Uruguay players throwing punches at Colombia fans.
Security at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, attempted to hold players back, but things were already getting too ugly.
Darwin Núñez appeared to throw several punches in videos of the brawl that have surfaced, while Uruguay defender José María Giménez threw a punch.
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Colombia fans were fighting back, throwing punches themselves, while others were throwing objects toward the brawl as it unfolded.
Uruguayan players defended their actions, citing the ability to keep their families safe. The AUF agreed with the sentiment, saying (via Google translation) that the players’ reactions were “inevitable and natural” due to their “nervousness and desperation.”
“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,” the statement said in translation.
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“Please be careful because the families are in the stands. They stormed all our families, a certain sector of Colombia fans, and they won’t let us speak on the microphone,” defender José María Giménez told Fox Sports in a Spanish interview translated to English. “I’m going to say it now because I know I can. Because if not, they’ll cut you off.
“This is a disaster. Our families are in danger. We had to get on the top of the stands as soon as possible to rescue our loved ones with newborn babies. It was a disaster.
“I hope those who are organizing this are a little more careful with the families, with the people and with the people around in the stadiums. It’s a disaster because all the matches are the same. The families are suffering because of some who drink one or two shots of alcohol that don’t know how to drink who behave like children and are not decent.”
The match was chippy from start to finish, with early yellow cards and a scuffle after the game.
Colombia will face Argentina in the final Sunday.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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