CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Darwin Núñez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled at Bank of America Stadium following a 1-0 loss to Colombia in a Copa America semifinal on Wednesday night.
After a physical and contentious match, a melee broke out behind the Uruguay bench after Mexican referee César Ramos' final whistle.
Daniel Arias attended the game and said things took a turn quickly once the match ended. “It was like a total disaster," Arias told WCNC Charlotte's Myles Harris.
Ruben Escobar is still in shock at what he witnessed in the stands Wednesday night. “Players go inside the stands with fans and fight with them? That's crazy,” he said.
The crowd of 70,644 was about 90% in favor of Colombia, but a small patch of Uruguay fans fought with Colombia supporters as beverages were thrown.
Núñez and teammates then climbed a staircase into the crowd. A video showed Núñez hitting a fan in Colombian team colors.
It took more than 10 minutes for police to restore order. The public address announcer asked for fans to leave the stadium, but several supporters remained.
Jorge Gonzales said it was the best soccer game Charlotte has hosted. “Unfortunately, you know, this is what's going to be talked about the most.”
WCNC Charlotte obtained an incident report from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department stating one person at the stadium ran away from officers after an alleged assault but was taken into custody shortly after. CMPD later clarified that no arrests have been made from this fight.
About 100 Uruguayan fans and members of the federation staff remained on the field more than 20 minutes after the game, while Colombia fans made their way out to celebrate.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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