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Rodrigo Bentancur, a midfielder from Uruguay who caused controversy for making racist remarks to his team captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), injured a staff member of the Uruguay national team by throwing a water bottle at the stands.
British media, including Football London and Daily Mail, reported on the 11th (Korea time) that Bentancourt, who plays for the Uruguayan national team, was seen throwing a water bottle into the stands immediately after the semifinals against Colombia in the 2024 Copa America.
Uruguay lost 0-1 to Colombia in the 2024 Copa America semifinals at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
With one exit from each team and a total of 24 fouls, Uruguay's striker Darwin Núñez went to the stands shortly after the game and fought with Colombian fans.
Bentancourt, who was on the touchline, threw a water bottle at the stands. A Uruguayan staff member who went up to the stands to prevent the scuffle was hit with a water bottle on the forehead and was bleeding. Videos posted on social networking services (SNS) by spectators at the scene also show Bentancourt being chased away by stadium staff who threw objects at the stands once more.
The South American Football Federation said on the 12th, "The federation's disciplinary committee has decided to investigate the violence that occurred immediately after the semifinal match between Uruguay and Colombia to find out the whole story of the incident and to clearly determine who is responsible for those involved." As the federation investigates, there is a possibility that some Uruguayan players, including Nuñez, will be banned from the third-place match against Canada scheduled for the 14th.
The federation warned that "any act of defiling the festival in the presence of hundreds of millions of soccer fans in the Copa America final will not be tolerated" and that it will not tolerate physical clashes between the two teams in the final between Argentina and Colombia on the 15th.
Earlier, Bentancourt appeared on a broadcast program in Uruguay last month and told the host who asked for Son Heung-min's uniform, "What about Son Heung-min's cousin, he looks just like Son Heung-min or his cousin." Criticism arose that the basis of the remarks was based on the racist perception that "all Asians look the same," which is common in the West. 토토사이트 순위
As the controversy grew, Bentancourt apologized to Son through an Instagram story, which Son accepted. The English Football Association (FA) is reportedly considering whether to discipline Bentancourt or not.