CONMEBOL statement on Nunez brawl as Uruguayan football president speaks out

Darwin Nunez could face a significant ban after being involved in a brawl in the stands following Uruguay’s defeat to Colombia at Copa America. South American football federation CONMEBOL have released statement condemning the actions and will launch a full scale investigation into what exactly happened.

Nunez‘s Uruguay met with Colombia in the semi-final, vying for a spot in Sunday’s final against Argentina. Colombia were the victors, however, clinching a 1-0 victory, thanks to a goal from Jefferson Lerma 40 minutes into the game.

The Colombians had to play half of the match with only 10 players after Daniel Munoz, Lerma’s teammate from Crystal Palace, was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. Despite having an extra player, Nunez and Uruguay couldn’t capitalise on the advantage, and Colombia managed to hold their ground in Charlotte, North Carolina, securing the win.

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However, things took a turn for the worse after the final whistle, when a brawl erupted in the stands – and Nunez was at the heart of it. The Liverpool forward led the Uruguayan squad into the crowd, much to the displeasure of the Colombian fans.

Nunez seemed to be struck by one of the fans, before he defended himself. Security quickly intervened and tried to defuse the situation, escorting Nunez and his teammates back to the changing room. The scenes were widely criticised by South America’s governing body, CONMEBOL, in the aftermath.

A statement from CONMEBOL disclosed: “CONMEBOL strongly condemns any act of violence that affects football. Our work is based on the conviction that football connects us and unites us, through its positive values. There is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the field. We invite everyone in the remaining days to pour all their passion into cheering on their teams and having an unforgettable party.”

AUF president Ignacio Alonso also addressed the incident, but defended his players who, he claims acted in the best interest of their families’ safety.

“The Uruguayan players had an instinctive, natural reaction, which was to defend the children who were being attacked, their wives, parents, siblings. It was a natural, instinctive reaction that was rational given the events that were taking place,” Alonso said (via ESPN).

“We were in a box, where we had some attacks and we protected some children, opening the area to some kids who were scared and having some crises, but fundamentally what is worrying is what happened down on the field, where there was more diligence in repairs than in precaution.

“They quickly followed the evacuation protocol and we were able to resolve the situation, not without some inconvenience that you all saw. We are analyzing the images. There is no one who is currently in difficulty and measures were taken so that they could receive transport in appropriate places.

“Assistance was provided to those who had panic attacks, and now we are going to review them a little more at the hotel. In all tournaments, families are in the stands, there is usually a cordon or something similar, especially for a stadium that was 95% sold out before the start of the cup.”