Darwin Nunez After Wednesday night’s 1-0 Copa America semifinal loss to Colombia, fans brawled at Bank of America Stadium and about a dozen Uruguayan teammates stormed the arena before security personnel stepped in to restore order.
After Colombia won 1-0 in Charlotte, North Carolina, videos on social media showed Uruguayan players climbing into the stands and exchanging blows with opposing fans.
Copa organizers CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American soccer, said they were investigating the incident.
Uruguay captain Jose Maria Gimenez said the players were trying to protect their families.
“I’ll say one thing 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 it’s a disaster,” Gimenez said on the official broadcast. “Please be careful, our families are in the stands, there are newborn babies. It’s a disaster; there are no police, we had to protect our families.
“It was the fault of two or three people who had a few too many drinks and didn’t know how to drink.”
Jefferson Lerma’s first-half header earned Colombia a place in Sunday’s final against Argentina, while Uruguay face Canada in the third-place playoff.
