The Copa América semifinal between Uruguay and Colombia ended in absolute chaos Wednesday night, when some members of Team Uruguay were involved in a physical altercation with a number of unruly Colombian fans.
In video that has been drawing comparisons to 2004's infamous Malice at the Palace, Uruguayan star Darwin Núñez is seen leaping into the stands at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina following the team's 1-0 loss to Colombia. The clip below shows several of Uruguay's players getting into it with Colombia's fans as staff at the venue attempted to break up the fighting.
People who were at the event posted video online, saying that Colombia supporters were attacking the families of the Uruguayan players.
After the incident, Darwin was seen comforting his young son on the pitch.
CONMEBOL, the governing body for South American football, has launched an investigation into the incident. "CONMEBOL strongly condemns any act of violence that affects football," the governing body said in a statement. "Our work is based on the conviction that soccer connects and unites us through its positive values. There is no place for intolerance and violence on and off the field."
Uruguay’s captain, José María Giménez, spoke with reporters after the game, and said that the families of his teammates were put in danger, calling the entire incident a "disaster."
"They stormed all our families," Giménez said. "A certain sector of Colombia fans, and they won’t let us speak on the microphone. I’m going to say it now because I know I can because if not they’ll cut you off. This is a disaster. Our family is in danger. We had to get on the top of the stands ASAP to rescue our loved ones. With newborn babies. It was a disaster."
Giménez said there was "not a single policeman" in the stands, which led to the escalation. "I hope that they are careful in the next matches," he added. "Because I don’t want this to happen again. This is a disaster."
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said in a news conference that he saw the incident from the locker rooms and initially assumed it was players thanking fans for their support. "But then I learned that there were some problems over there, unfortunately," he said, per CBS Sports.
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The brawl inevitably sparked comparisons to the Malice at the Palace, when players on the Indiana Pacers brawled with Detroit Pistons fans in a 2004 game at The Palace in Michigan. In the aftermath of the incident, nine players were suspended and five were charged with assault.
