“Our families were in danger”- ‘Enraged’ Jose Maria Gimenez admits that he had to RESCUE his family from drunk Colombian fans in the stands

No football fan would want to see fans from either side physically attack each other, no matter what the occasion. The being said, it isn’t uncommon to see fans lose their temper in the stands every now and then. Uruguay took on Colombia at the Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday as James Rodriguez‘s side came out victorious thanks to a solitary goal in the first half.

The celebrations were quickly forgotten when fans got into a brawl in the stands. After a lengthy altercation involving several Uruguayan players and opposition fans, security and police eventually intervened to put an end to the same. However, Jose Maria Gimenez was not pleased with the way security handled the incident. In a post-match interview, the player expressed his frustration and concern for the safety of his family.

Please be careful because our families are in the stands. This is a disaster and our families were in danger. We had to get to the top of the stands ASAP to rescue our loved ones with newborn babies! Officers popped up only after half an hour.

Jose Maria Gimenez said in a post-match interview

He also urged the authorities to take care that such an incident never happens again. Uruguay were sent home packing despite eliminating tournament ‘favorites’ Brazil.

6 yellows, one red and 24 fouls committed as Colombia edge Uruguay to book spot in Copa America final

Colombia had built up a strong reputation for themselves as tournament favorites owing to their impressive displays over the course of the campaign. That being said, it all came down to sheer will and pure grit as the men in yellow edged Uruguay to have a shot at glory in the final. In a game of extremely fine margins, either side had several chances to take the lead.

It was not until the end of the first half that Jefferson Lerma headed the only goal of the game from a corner. Uruguay fought back valiantly, with shots from Darwin Nunez, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo Bentancur narrowly missing the target. Despite Daniel Munoz being sent off for elbowing Manuel Ugarte, Uruguay failed to overcome ten-man Colombia in the second half.

Cameras also spotted Jose Maria Gimenez being ‘punched’ in the stomach by Davinson Sanchez in the build-up to a corner. Despite Uruguay giving it their all, Marcelo Bielsa‘s men have their goalkeeper to thank for keeping them in contention till the final minute. Sergio Rochet made a couple of crucial saves toward the end after being caught out on counter attacks on multiple occasions.

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