What the Uruguayan Football Association said about the scandal at the end of the match against Colombia

The Uruguayan Football Association spoke this Wednesday about the scandal unleashed in one of the stands at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, where players of the celestial team clashed with Colombian fans after the 1-0 defeat that made it impossible for those led by Marcelo Bielsa to access the final of the Copa América against Argentina.

The entity spoke through its president, Ignacio Alonso, who considered that the Celeste players involved in the fight “simply They went to protect their family“.

“Until now what we have had is internal dialogue, knowing that there was a natural, instinctive reactionof a father, of a husband, of a brother, of a son who, seeing his family in a very complicated moment and seeing that they did not allow evacuation to the field, which is what the protocol indicates,” Alonso said in the mixed zone , after the second semifinal of the Copa América.

Subsequently, Alonso delved into the violent situation that involved Uruguayan players such as Darwin Nunez y Maximiliano Araújowho jumped over the barriers to access the stands and fight with some Colombian fans.

“They were surrounded, access to the field was blocked and at that moment the people were very confined, who were also surrounded by an impressive number of Colombian fans and that some, as José María Giménez rightly said, had an aggressive attitude towards them and afterwards there were some skirmishes that some people had to come out to fight. cut,” Alonso added.

In that direction, he expanded: “Then some Uruguayan players appeared to try to protect their children, protect their family, their mother, their mother-in-law, their wife, their brothers. The situation worsened, but I think it is a natural reaction to the perceive what was happening.”

“We also we suffered an attempted invasion of the box, they threw things, they said things, we had to get children into the box. But it took a few minutes and that’s it. You have to see the images, talk and evaluate them,” he insisted.

Alonso also assured that the AUF has a law department that is prepared to study the files on what happened at the meeting.

Moments before, from the playing field, José María Giménez He stressed that the families of the Uruguayan soccer players “they were in danger” and threw a harsh criticism of the organizer. “I hope they are a little more careful with the families, the people and the surroundings of the stadium, which is a disaster and the same thing happens every game,” said the player who Diego Simeone coaches at Atlético de Madrid.

From the field of play, and visibly upset, the defender completed: “Our families are suffering because of some who take two sips of alcohol, who do not know how to drink, and behave like children and are not decent.” “I hope they are careful in the next games and this disaster doesn’t happen again,” Giménez insisted.

From the official X account of Conmebol they repudiated what happened in Charlotte. “Conmebol strongly condemns any act of violence that affects football. Our work is based on the conviction that football connects and unites us, through its positive values,” said the organizer of the contest, in the first part of the statement.

Then, he stressed that “there is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the field” and invited “everyone in the remaining days” of the tournament “to pour all their passion into cheering on their teams and having an unforgettable party.” ”.