Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa defended his gamers’ involvement in clashes with Colombia followers following their Copa América semifinal match at Financial institution of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier than criticizing the U.S. and CONMEBOL over the group of the competitors.
Following Uruguay’s semifinal loss, gamers might be seen climbing into the stands to battle with opposing followers. Darwin Núñez and Ronaldo Araújo have been amongst these concerned, whereas captain José María Giménez mentioned the gamers have been merely making an attempt to defend relations.
Nonetheless, South America soccer’s governing physique, CONMEBOL, has introduced an investigation into the incidents, which additionally noticed gamers from Colombia and Uruguay concerned in a confrontation on the sector after the ultimate whistle.
“One has to talk eager about all of the threats he’ll obtain if he speaks,” an indignant Bielsa mentioned in a prematch information convention on Friday. “So, the one factor I can let you know is that the gamers reacted the identical method any human being would.
“In the event you see what occurred occur and there is [no other process to escape] and they’re attacking their girlfriends, their moms, a child, their wives, their moms — what would you do?”
The previous Leeds United supervisor went on to assault media protection of the incidents.
“Are you asking if there’s going to be sanctions to those that went to defend?” he mentioned. “It is a stage of complicity, as a result of the questions additionally act as a option to confederate, I do not know if all of you assume the identical method, if the query you ask would not be made by another person, however that is what you journalists needs to be saying, not what I needs to be saying, with the chance of opening my mouth.
“While you see that there is an overreaction, if you see a violent motion, after all nobody goes to be in favor of a violent response. However the very first thing you must see is what are they reacting to? And if there was some other option to do it in a different way, and also you all know this, however you need us on this aspect to open our mouths about it so it isn’t you who level what occurred after which are affected in any method.”
Bielsa mentioned that his gamers have been owed apologies, including that “we’re in the USA, the nation of safety.”
The Uruguayan soccer affiliation (AUF) additionally mentioned there was an absence of safety within the stands which led to “an unjustified however humanly comprehensible response” by the gamers.
“This occasion occurred in a context through which the proportion of Uruguayan followers was very small. Most of them have been households, and there have been inadequate safety measures in place,” the AUF mentioned in a press release.
“Given these information, the gamers’ behaviour was inevitable and pure,” it mentioned, including although that it “strongly condemned” their aggression.
The coach went on to criticize CONMEBOL and the U.S. over the group of the match, particularly calling out the shortage of safety and the situations of the fields at stadiums commonly utilized by NFL groups.
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Argentina, which is able to face Colombia in Sunday’s last, slammed the situations of the sector at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the match’s opening recreation.
“They knew seven months in the past that we might play right here and so they modified the sector two days in the past,” Argentina supervisor Lionel Scaloni mentioned following that recreation. “It isn’t an excuse, however this is not a great discipline. Sincerely, the sector shouldn’t be apt for these gamers.”
CONMEBOL defended the situations of the fields following the criticism, saying that the method of putting in the momentary pitches for Copa América began a yr in the past and that “aesthetics can provide the unsuitable notion.”
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Eight of the stadiums used for the Copa América are websites of the 2026 World Cup, and renovations have been deliberate permitting for the bigger fields in two years. For the World Cup, FIFA normally takes management of the stadiums a couple of month upfront.
“They’ve mentioned that the pitches are in excellent situation and all of the lies they’ve mentioned right here, doing a press convention to say that the pitches are excellent and also you see how the grass patches will not work. They usually mentioned the coaching amenities are excellent, however Bolivia could not practice and I’ve photos to show that it is all lies, this can be a plague of liars,” Bielsa added.
“After which we converse — even when I already mentioned the whole lot I promised myself I would not say — and there are threats. Scaloni spoke as soon as, he dared to say that the union on the grass wasn’t correct, that are all recognized errors.
“The Individuals will not let you know, ‘I am going to offer you an ideal pitch,'” Bielsa continued. “They’re going to let you know, ‘I am going to offer you a pitch put collectively three days in the past,’ and the joints between grass patches do not match collectively.
“Search for a play on yesterday’s recreation contained in the field and you will see how the ball double-taps and it is due to that. And the coaching amenities have been a catastrophe and Bolivia could not practice however they mentioned, ‘It is fantastic, it is Bolivia.’
“Then the penalty for Brazil and all of the injustices with the decrease lessons of the competitors, they are saying nothing about that. And you then get the referees being accused by the president of the federation saying they did not name a penalty for Brazil figuring out how that situations the subsequent recreation, you know the way this all is.”
Uruguay is about to play the match for third place in opposition to Canada at Financial institution of America Stadium on Saturday evening.
Info from Reuters contributed to this report.
