The incident happened following Uruguay and Colombia’s Copa America semifinal match. A brawl broke out between Uruguay players and Colombian supporters in the stands shortly after Colombia defeated Uruguay 1-0.

The Uruguayan players’ relatives and families who were seated behind the team’s bench were the target of verbal and physical abuse from Colombian spectators, according to Uruguayan defender Jose Maria Gimenez. “It was a tragedy; there were no police and we had to defend our families,” Gimenez said, criticising the absence of police to maintain order in the situation.

Darwin Nunez, a striker for Uruguay, was in the epicentre of the chaos after he was attacked by an opposing fan and responded in kind. Later, footage surfaced showing Nunez, visibly distressed by the tragic event, cuddling his small son on the pitch.

There were reports of relatives of other Uruguay players, such as Manuel Ugarte, being injured in the incident. Following the match, there were wild scenes because eight players were carded during the intense semifinal.

According to the report, most of the spectators at the game were from Colombia, and their enthusiasm was similar to that of a competitive Copa America semifinal. Because both Colombia and Argentina have sizable fan following in the United States, where the tournament is being staged, more security and police are expected to be present for the match.