Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez, Uruguay teammates brawl with fans after Copa America defeat
- TV footage shows striker hitting Colombian supporters as players entered stand because ‘our families were in danger’ after heated semi-final
Liverpool star Darwin Nunez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates were involved in a brawl with opposition fans that erupted after their 1-0 Copa America semi-final defeat by Colombia.
Following a physical and contentious match in North Carolina on Wednesday, a melee broke out behind the Uruguay bench after Mexican referee Cesar Ramos’ final whistle.
The crowd of 70,644 at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium was about 90 per cent in favour in Colombia, but a small patch of Uruguay fans fought with Colombia supporters as beverages were thrown.
There was no segregation between Colombia fans and their Uruguayan counterparts.
Nunez and teammates had climbed a staircase into the crowd, and television footage showed the Uruguay striker unleashing a flurry of punches at Colombian supporters after jumping into the spectator seating.
Several other Uruguay players climbed into the crowd, seemingly to protect them, with Nunez prominent among them.