The dust hasn’t fully settled yet from the post-match fracas after Wednesday’s Copa America semifinal between Colombia and Uruguay. Ten-man Colombia defeated Uruguay to reach the Copa America final this Sunday against Argentina, but the story of the match was the fight that kicked off between Uruguayan players, including Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, and Colombian fans in the stands, after a stadium security failure that threatened the safety of the Uruguay players’ families.
Now, according to Uruguayan football reporter Rodrigo Romano, the South American football federation CONMEBOL has listed 11 Uruguay players, including Bentancur and Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, as being under investigation for their roles in the altercation. CONMEBOL will investigate all 11 players with video evidence, with possible sanctions and fines to be handed out at the conclusion of the investigation. No players will be sanctioned or suspended prior to the Copa America third place match between Uruguay and Canada.
URUGUAY DEVELOPMENT
Around 8:00 p.m., AUF received the documents that have the 11 names of the players who participated in the final episodes for CONMEBOL.
The documents contain the names, (kit) number in the competition and the cause attributed to them for the purposes of dealing with future sanctions.
The 11 players are:
Each of the players’ names is accompanied by film evidence and the reason for which a disciplinary file is opened.
Until next Wednesday 17 AUF you will have time to present your defenses in writing.
After that day, a period will begin for CONMEBOL to study and resolve whether or not to sanction each of the aforementioned players.
There are no preventive sanctions, so these players are fit to play on Saturday against Canada.
The corresponding penalties must be served in the 2026 Qualifiers matches, starting next September when, during the resumption, Uruguay will host Paraguay and then visit Venezuela.
There may also be a financial fine if deemed appropriate.
Several Uruguayan players and staff members went into the crowd at the conclusion of the match to confront Colombian fans who had breached security into an area containing members of Uruguay players’ families. Several Uruguay players gave comments to the media saying they feared their loved ones were in danger and they acted to protect them.
Bentancur was not among the players who went into the stands, but he was caught on video throwing two objects into the crowd, including a bottle which hit a Uruguay staffer in the side of the head, injuring and bloodying him.
The investigations announced today are instigated solely by CONMEBOL and any sanctions that would arise from this investigation would be limited to internationally-sanctioned matches, notably future World Cup qualifiers. At present, there has been no further information about sanctions from other world soccer bodies, including FIFA or the FA.
Bentancur started the match against Colombia but was substituted in the first half after picking up an injury from a collision with one of his teammates. His status for the third-place match against Canada is unknown.