Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa hits out at Copa America organisers, saying it ‘hasn’t been professional’

Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa criticized Copa America organizers on Friday, saying the tournament “has not been professional” as he criticized security and pitch conditions in the United States.

Bielsa’s comments came after several of his Uruguayan players clashed with fans in the stands at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, following their semi-final loss to Colombia. The brawl began in the area where the players’ families, including some children, were sitting.

South American soccer federation CONMEBOL, which has opted to hold the Copa America in the United States for the second time, has launched an investigation into the incident.

When asked ahead of Uruguay’s third-place playoff against Canada – which takes place on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium – whether he feared his players would face sanctions, the 68-year-old Bielsa was clearly upset.

“The only thing I can tell you is that the players reacted just like any other human being,” he said. “If you look at it there is a process to prevent what happened from happening. If you see that if what happened happens anyway, and there is supposedly another procedure – an escape route, let’s say – and both things fail, and you see that your woman, or your mother, Or a child is being attacked, what would you do? You ask, are they going to punish those who defended themselves?

“If you have any sympathy at all you should ask me whether the players have received an apology for the people who are responsible for the care of every single spectator.

“You are asking me if I am afraid of sanctions? How can I be afraid of a punishment which is impossible to happen?”

He then turned his attention to the condition of the pitches in the tournament, which has been widely criticized by players and managers.

After Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Colombia, Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior said: “The Copa America is always difficult because of the pitches, because of the referees who always go against us. It is always difficult, but we have to stay strong. We can talk only after winning. When we talk, CONMEBOL says we talk too much.”

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni also criticized the turf after his team’s opening night win over Canada in Atlanta, Georgia, saying the Mercedes-Benz Stadium pitch was “not good for a spectacle” and “not up to standard for these players. Was not in accordance with “. He later repeatedly refused to answer questions on the subject, saying only that it was “done”.

“All the lies they have told,” Bielsa said. “They do press conferences and say, ‘No, the grounds are perfect, the training pitches are perfect.’… I have all the photographs that show these are all lies. This is the wrath of liars. Now, I have already said everything that I promised (to the organizers and the federation) that I would not say. All these punishments are coming.

He added, “These are all errors that were already known about.” “North Americans don’t say – ‘You’re going to get a perfect pitch.’ They tell you ‘We’ll give you fields installed three days in advance, or (x) days in advance.’ …the training pitches were a disaster.

“They hold a press conference and say it’s an optical illusion. Vinicius (Junior) can’t see. That (Lionel) Scaloni shouldn’t talk. Training pitches are perfect for when we all have a collection of (bad pitches).

The Uruguay head coach then referred to the 2015 FBI case that led to the resignation of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and several other football administrators.

“The United States, I will remind you, when they felt that their interests were being attacked, they created FIFAgate. With the FBI. He did what he had to do, but it was in his interests. Here? Nothing happened. It was a great party, a competitive tournament, nothing to complain about.”

CONMEBOL has been contacted for comment.

The Uruguayan football federation, the AUF, issued a statement on Friday saying their representatives had behaved in an “exemplary manner” throughout the tournament.

Regarding the events of the semi-final, the AUF said that its players, “in the context of the moments of panic and desperation in which women and children were taken hostage”, “intervened for their safety and protection” in the stands. Went.

“It is clear that this incident occurred in a context in which the proportion of Uruguayan fans was very small, mostly families, and there were not adequate security mechanisms for such a situation,” the AUF said. “Given these incidents and the aforementioned lack of security, the players’ attitude was inevitable and natural.”

The AUF said: “Unfortunately, the events described, which violated the health of the family in the context of lack of protection, generated an inappropriate but humanly understandable reaction.”

(Top photo: Omar Vega/Getty Images)