Rodrigo Bentancourt, which angered Korean soccer fans in June, was embroiled in another controversy.
Uruguay finished the tournament by losing 0-1 to Colombia in the Copa America 2024 semifinals at Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina at 9 a.m. on the 11th (Korea time).
After the game, the stadium was in chaos. There was a shocking situation in which the Uruguayan team and the Colombian crowd physically clashed. Darwin Núñez was also hit on the top of the head by the Colombian crowd. Núñez was also seen punching the crowd. There are local reports that Uruguay's squads acted to protect their families from Colombian spectators, but the exact facts have yet to be confirmed.
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| Photo=The Athlete Capture |
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| Photo=The Athlete Capture |
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Núñez was not the only one who committed violent acts. While Núñez was about to collide with the crowd, a player who did not come to the stands but committed violent acts from behind was captured on video.
The main character was Bentancourt. Bentancur held a water bottle and threw it at the Colombian crowd before shouting at the Colombian crowd. Bentancur was very excited, so it doesn't seem to have been a polite statement. Officials around him were surprised by Bentancur's actions and stopped the player.
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| 사진=더 선 |
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This is not the first time Bentancur has committed violent acts on the field. Bentancourt started against Tottenham and Manchester City in May. Bentancur, who did not play much, was replaced by Dejan Kulusevski early in the second half.
Bentancur returned to the bench and struck the chair several times, perhaps outraged by Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou's choice to replace him. Brian Hill, who was sitting next to the bench, was surprised. Bentancourt threw something next to her to the floor even after venting her anger on the chair. Hill comforted him, but Bentancourt doesn't seem to care.
Players can be angry, too. Bentancur may react more nervously after being injured in the match against Colombia. If it were true that Colombian spectators threatened the Uruguayan team's family, it would have been more emotional.
But violence is unacceptable in any way. A soccer player cannot be unaware of how dangerous the water bottles thrown by the spectators are. Such a soccer player threw a water bottle at the audience and screamed.
Bentancourt, which had been criticized by Tottenham fans and Korean fans for the Son Heung-min racism incident, has become the center of controversy again.
rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com
