Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa launched a scathing attack on the Copa America organizers following a fan-player altercation during the semi-final match against Colombia.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Uruguay’s third-place play-off against Canada, Bielsa said: “We are in a country that calls itself ‘safe’, but why are they not protecting their mothers, sisters, and babies? If they can’t do that, they will be condemned by all of us.”
He angrily pointed out, “They say the pitch conditions are good, and they’ve made up a bunch of lies. They say the training ground is perfect, but Bolivia couldn’t train, I have pictures. They lie constantly. The training ground is a disaster.”
“There are packed stadiums here, it’s a tough competition, but they can’t continue to deceive. The stadium manager claims it was a visual issue, Vinicius couldn’t see, Scaloni shouldn’t speak. They should come out and admit that the training ground is terrible. Scaloni was told he could only speak once and then no more. Everyone is threatened. What are they going to do? Ban them?”
The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) also released a statement defending themselves. The statement began by saying: “The Uruguayan delegation has been exemplary since arriving in the United States a month ago.”
The AUF defended the players involved in the altercation with Colombian fans: “In the face of these events, and the security issues mentioned, the players’ reaction was unavoidable and natural.” The statement concluded by saying: “This Association, in its 124 years of existence, has proudly upheld respect for civic conduct as a fundamental principle, firmly rejecting any act of violence in the practice of sport.”
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