Uruguayan International: No Security Personnel to Protect Families, CONMEBOL Prohibits Us from Speaking Out

In the morning of July 11th, in the Copa America semi-final, Uruguay lost to Colombia. Notably, after the game, some Uruguayan players clashed with Colombian fans. According to Uruguay’s El Observador, it was Colombian fans who attacked the families of Uruguayan players, leading to chaos at the scene.

After the match, Colombian fans began to harass the few Uruguayan fans present in the stands. The most severe situation occurred behind the Uruguayan bench, where the families of Uruguayan players were gathered. Faced with the disturbance, they were forced to flee the stands and were protected by members of the Uruguayan delegation.

Upon learning that their families had been attacked, Uruguayan players rushed to the stands, clashing with the attackers. The Uruguayan players tried to protect their families while the Colombian fans continued their assault. There were no police officers on site, and security personnel were unable to control the situation.

Darwin Nunez, Matias Olivera, and Ronald Araujo were among the first Uruguayan players to confront the Colombian fans.

Some Uruguayans were injured, and the atmosphere was extremely tense as the Colombian fans’ attacks did not cease. Manuel Ugarte’s family was the most frightened; they were taken onto the pitch and joined the Uruguayan players.

When the police arrived, they arrested about ten people wearing Colombia jerseys but did not arrest any Uruguayans.

Uruguay captain Josema Gimenez was the first to publicly condemn the situation, as he found that the game broadcast did not show related footage. When asked to discuss the match, he interrupted the question and publicly condemned the attack by Colombian fans on the families of Uruguayan players.

He stated, “Before you cut off my microphone, let me say a few words. They don’t allow us to speak in front of the microphone, they don’t want us to talk about what is happening, but this is a disaster. Pay attention, our families are in the stands, there are newborn babies. This is a disaster, there are no police officers, we have to protect our families. This is because a small group of people drank too much alcohol and do not know how to control themselves.”

This incident has raised concerns among players about safety at football matches, and they are currently awaiting an investigation by CONMEBOL.