The home of the Carolina Panthers continues to be a hot topic this summer.
Tempers flared at Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday night—when fútbol, not football, played centerstage in Charlotte. The heat boiled over after the Copa América semifinal match between Colombia and Uruguay, as players entered the stands and physically engaged with fans.
Recordings of the brawl show members of the Uruguay club jumping into the lower bowl of seating and exchanging blows with Colombian supporters.
Con los comentarios de La Volpe pic.twitter.com/LwXrZkpMaO
— Antonio Nicolas Peix (@ANPeix) July 11, 2024
Uruguay players have entered the stands and a fight has broken out between fans and players pic.twitter.com/XRbte2ibiy
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 11, 2024
Uruguay captain Jose Maria Gimenez spoke directly after the incident, stating that his teammates were trying to defend their families following Colombia’s 1-0 victory.
“Let me say something before they cut you off because they won’t let us speak into the microphone, they don’t want me to say anything about what’s going on but this is a disaster,” Gimenez said on the Vivo Sports broadcast. “Please be careful, our families are in the stands, there are little newborn babies. It was a disaster; there was no police and we had to defend our families.
“This is the fault of two or three people who had a few too many drinks and don’t know how to drink.”
Per ESPN—CONMEBOL, South American football’s governing body and the organizers of the Copa, stated they are investigating the incident.
