Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa has come to the defense of his players, insisting that they deserve an apology from Columbia fans for the pandemonium that followed his side’s Copa America semi-final defeat in Charlotte, Soccernet.football reports.
After the game, footage shared on social media showed Uruguay players, led by Darwin Nunez, climbing into the stands at the Bank of America Stadium where their family members were caught up in violence involving Colombia supporters.
CONMEBOL has opened an investigation into the incident, with suggestions that some Uruguay players could face sanctions for their actions. However, Bielsa believes that his players should receive an apology rather than punishment.
“You know whose responsibility it is to protect the fans in the stands,” he angrily said to reporters in a press conference before La Celeste’s third-place match against Canada.
“You have to ask me whether the players have received an apology from those responsible for safeguarding security.
“How can you not defend your mother, your sister, a baby? If they did not do it, they would have been condemned by all of us.
“The sanction does not have to be for the footballers, but for those who forced them to act like that. This is a witch hunt. It is a shame.
“You should have asked me if we have received an apology, not if I fear sanctions. Here, the message was we cannot defend your family, and we cannot allow them to flee.
“What sanction are they talking to me about? What we have to see is when are they going to apologize”
Bielsa’s Uruguay are set to take on Canada in the third-place playoff on Sunday at the Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina after being denied the chance to play for a record-breaking 16th Copa America title.