A fight broke out between Uruguay players and a section of hostile Colombia fans at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Thursday after the Copa America semi-final between the two teams. Liverpool star Darwin Nunez was among the ones who were seen punching fans in the stands during the ugly post-match scenes. Fans were seen hurling caps, cans, and punches at the Uruguay players, who were making their way back to the changing room after a disappointing loss in the last-eight match.
In a video shot by one of the fans at the Bank of America Stadium, Darwin Nunez can be seen getting irked by chants from Colombian fans before he enters the stands and throws punches at a few of them. Barcelona's Ronald Araujo and Atletico Madrid's Jose Maria Gimenez were also seen standing alongside Nunez when the fight broke out. Security officials and police officers rushed to calm the situation down and escort the players away from the scene. A few players, including Nunez, returned to the field and met their families, who reportedly were abused by a section of fans.
Uruguay captain Gimenez lashed out at the security situation in Charlotte, saying the players feared for the well-being of their families, pointing fingers at hostile behaviour from Colombia fans, who dominated the stands on Thursday.
“It’s a total disaster. There wasn’t a single police officer. They showed up half an hour later. A disaster. And we were there, standing up for ourselves, for our loved ones," Gimenez told the broadcasters after the match.
“Our families are suffering because of some people who have a few drinks and don’t know how to drink, who act like children. Hopefully, they’ll take more precautions for the next game so this doesn’t happen again, because this is a disaster," he added.
Nunez, who looked shaken after the incident, was cooled by his Liverpool teammate Luis Diaz and veteran Luis Suaraz.
It was a disappointing evening for Nunez and Uruguay as they paid the price for not being clinical with their chances in the Copa America semi-final. Nunez missed three good opportunities to put Uruguay in the lead in the first half before Colombia took the lead in the 39th minute after Jefferson Lerma headed a corner into the net.
Colombia were down to 10 men after Daniel Munoz was sent off after a second yellow for elbowing Uruguy's Manuel Ugarte in the chest. It was a heated affair on the field as the referee handed out seven yellow cards, including a red.
