Argentina back Uruguay players, worried for final

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said he understands the reaction of Uruguay players in entering the stands to protect their family members in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s Copa América semifinal between Uruguay and Colombia.

The ugly incident in Charlotte, North Carolina, saw Uruguay players, including Darwin Núñez and Ronald Araújo, climb into the stands and clash with Colombia fans. Tournament organizer CONMEBOL later said it would open an investigation into the incident as well as the players’ involvement.

This sparked a strong and passionate defense of Uruguay’s players from manager Marcelo Bielsa on Friday, ahead of Saturday’s third-place game against Canada. He placed the blame mostly on CONMEBOL, but also on local organizers for the lack of security.

“If you see what happened happen, and there’s [no other process to escape] and they are attacking their girlfriends, their mothers, a baby, their wives, their mothers — what would you do?” he said.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s Copa América final against Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium, Scaloni called the images “very sad” and related how family members of the Argentina team faced a similar situation when crowd trouble delayed the start of a match between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro last November.

“When we saw family members involved, we had to rush into the locker room,” Scaloni recalled.

About Wednesday’s events, he added: “The images are bad. I don’t think you can blame them, seeing your family in the middle of the tumultuous situation which isn’t fair. It’s maddening. We need to see that.

“The players are protagonists and we ask them to be examples, but when those things happen, I don’t think anyone would’ve reacted any other way. It’s natural.

“But I hope tomorrow it doesn’t happen. We hope it’s a party among the fans of Argentina and Colombia. We cannot be thinking about what happens if one side celebrates. We must learn once and for all. … The images look like they were from 50 years ago and that worries me for tomorrow.”

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez echoed Scaloni’s comments.

“It’s bad to see, it’s not something I’d encourage my teammates to do, but when you see your kids and wives at risk, it’s a normal reaction,” he said. “What happened with Darwin and [Mathias] Olivera is normal. It’s sad and I totally agree with them. I support the players of Uruguay.”

The scenes also drew a compassionate response from Colombia midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero.

“It’s sad what happened, the families are not at fault,” he said. “We do what we can on the pitch and take care of families. We don’t want these things to happen in football. I understand emotions are high, but one from their place tries to be respectful. No one wants these things to happen. The game cannot be tainted by this incident. The aggressive people at fault should not be allowed in at a stadium, especially with children around that aren’t at fault.”

Martinez went on to add that he hoped there was sufficient security in place for Sunday’s final.

“There needs to be more attention [Sunday], especially as people drink more alcohol in the final,” he said. “We have to reinforce security, and live things better between fans … win or lose we should celebrate that both teams are in a final.”

As for the match, plenty of eyes will be on Colombia playmaker James Rodríguez, who has contributed six assists during the tournament, a Copa América record. But Scaloni said it’s important that Argentina don’t focus too much attention on Rodriguez, especially with winger Luis Díaz also in fine form.

“He’s a great player, it’s a pleasure to watch him,” Scaloni said about Rodriguez. “For football, it’s great. But for us, we haven’t focused on one player, but on the collective. Colombia is a good team, and we will defend the team. We will try as a team to stop them, and be owners of the game.”

Scaloni stressed that Argentina need to play their game, rather than react to what Colombia do. With Lionel Messi in the lineup, that is certainly possible.

“We have a way of playing that when we take ownership of the ball the team becomes strong,” Scaloni said. “We don’t see another way then counter all the good that they have. We see it that way, we want to be owners of the ball.”

Martinez added that his side must also adapt to whatever transpires, and draw on its experience from previous finals, including the triumphs in the 2021 Copa América and 2022 World Cup finals.

“Everyone has a plan until the final is played,” he said. “There are many factors in a final. … We have experience playing it and having won it, but finals are played and we try to win. There is no more plan, the heart is a great part of it.”