CHARLOTTE -- You've probably heard of the "Malice at the Palace," the 2004 incident involving Ron Artest's lunge into the Michigan crowd that is etched into NBA lore.
Twenty years later, Bank of America Stadium played witness to the "Assault at the Vault," as Uruguay national team players made their way into the Charlotte stands and confronted supporters near the touchline.
The Sporting News was in Charlotte on Wednesday night and witnessed the events following Colombia's 1-0 victory that sent Los Cafeteros to the 2024 Copa America final and relegated Uruguay to the less heralded third-place match.
The following is the first-hand account of the events following the final whistle that sent the football community across the Americas into a frenzy of confusion, shock, and anger.
Lead-up to Uruguay vs. Colombia match in Copa America semifinal
It was hot and sticky all across North Carolina on July 10. After forecasting yet another sweltering heat advisory across the state, Greensboro-based meteorologist Tim Buckley wrote on social media "I'm sick of talking about it, tbh." Temperatures were expected in the mid-90's, which would "feel like" upper 90's and possibly even into triple digits.
Yet a swath of fans clad in yellow lined Mint Street and the surrounding area in Charlotte well before kickoff of Uruguay vs. Colombia. The Cafeteros majority was overwhelming, and they were in a boisterous mood. Having been to this venue plenty of times for sporting events since moving to North Carolina in 2012, I'd never seen the immediate area around Bank of America Stadium so lively with supporters so early in the day. There was hardly a blue shirt in sight.
Up in the Bank of America Stadium press box, word on USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter's firing first filtered down about 90 minutes before the match. That left our minds pulled in many directions, but proved far from the most chaotic event of the evening in the end.
Colombia defeats Uruguay 1-0 to advance to Copa America final
We knew this semifinal had the potential to devolve into a physical dogfight. Uruguay had played to a hideous 0-0 draw with Brazil in the quarterfinals that left supporters starving for quality amidst a tournament-high 41 total fouls. Here, however, the physicality served a different purpose. Instead of fouling to preventing the opponent from playing, both sides used their physicality with the idea of sparking their own attacking moves.
"I cannot say this was a match that was under control," said Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo after the match. "Just one mistake from our side, and [Uruguay] were everywhere. We were very courageous."
James Rodriguez, who has been brilliant throughout the Copa America, served up a corner to the head of Jefferson Lerma to put Colombia up 1-0 for an invaluable early lead, but a brainless elbow by Daniel Munoz saw him sent off, completely changed the game.
Colombia remained steadfast as the entire second half played like a hockey team stuck in a perpetual penalty kill. Uruguay pushed, trying to create opportunities. Their frustration grew, with the misfiring Darwin Nunez whiffing with two glaring opportunities to draw level. Colombia held on amidst waves of pressure to secure a 1-0 victory. It was an exhausting 90 minutes which saw both teams exert excessive amounts of energy, and left us in the press box feeling short of breath.
Post-match brawl following Uruguay vs. Colombia in Charlotte
Things kicked off from the moment the final whistle blew.
As some players flopped to the ground in exhaustion, others met in the center circle. While it first appeared as players shaking hands after an emotional match, it soon became clear this was no friendly, sporting gesture. Uruguayan veteran Luis Suarez had a heated exchange with Colombia's Miguel Borja, and quickly staff members from both sides descended on the fracas.
It would only get worse, and as the emotions boiled over it appeared a Uruguayan substitute threw a punch at one point. That scuffle took most of our attention, and what we didn't notice immediate was the storm brewing on the near sideline.
We would learn later that a group of Uruguay players including Darwin Nunez, Ronald Araujo, and Manuel Ugarte had apparently gone to retrieve their family members from the crowd, but the scene soon turned violent. By the time we turned our attention from the center circle and noticed what was happening, it had already begun to kick off.
The group of players, led by Nunez, climbed a stairway to the crowd and tried to desperately fight their way into the stands. Nunez was initially held back by a few desperate security officials at the choke point of the stairs, but burst through and charged forward, while other players leapt barriers to avoid being restrained in their approach.
At the time, it was wholly unclear what had sparked the scene. All we knew was that things were rapidly escalating in front of our eyes. Soon, the security guards in the middle of the brawl were wholly outnumbered, and the fight became a sea of rage that moved through the stands.
People threw themselves into the fracas, encumbered by the same madness which drives hooligans to bang on the window of Lionel Messi's car at a red light. With just a swing of a fist, fans took the opportunity to transform themselves from bystander to contributor.
As the number of active participants grew, it became more difficult to see how a swift resolution would be possible. Darwin Nunez ate punches. Ronald Araujo, who is reportedly out injured for a number of weeks, hurried behind. Staffers hurled water bottles with ferocity from the pitch below. For every individual that looked to break up the brawl, five more were throwing themselves on top of the pile. For a while, it felt like a storm building with nothing to slow down its growth — this parabola of aggression felt scary to watch not knowing how it could possibly reverse course.
It continued to simmer for what seemed like forever. Araujo was seen taunting Colombia fans by repeatedly flashing the number 15, signifying the country's Copa America titles, most of any nation, before being ushered away while holding up four fingers to signify their World Cup titles.
What we didn't see at the time were the children being lifted over the barrier and onto the field to keep them away from the violence. Eventually, Darwin Nunez could be seen holding his young son with a clearly distressed look on his face, reflecting possibly on what had happened, and possibly on what could have been if he hadn't stepped in.
Why did Uruguay players jump into the crowd?
The aftermath of the fight felt eerie.
As I descended into the bowels of Bank of America Stadium, I made my way to the mixed zone, posting up to wait for players to arrive and tell us what happened. With little circulation to dislodge the stifling air, it was hot and sticky in the tunnel.
In search of answers, we waited. And waited. And waited. For a full 90 minutes, not a soul emerged from either locker room to speak. It's not unusual that some players take their time waiting for the manager to finish his team talk and press conference, shower, change, pack up, and then exit.
Here, there was nothing. In all likelihood, players were held back longer than usual to allow unruly fans to disperse and allow players to cool their emotions.
Eventually, I made my way back up to the press box to search social media for what little there was available. A few players had spoken to media on the pitch. Uruguay captain Jose Gimenez was the most animated of the group, clearly distracted throughout his on-field interview as he watched the scenes unfold. He eventually hijacked his interview to explain the situation.
"Can I just say something quickly? Sorry, I know they're going to cut me off and cut you off soon," Gimenez said as he began to explain the situation with a clear sense of urgency. "Please, be careful, because there are our families up there in the stands" He would go on to describe the sea of supporters as an "avalanche" before becoming emotional. "This is a disaster. Our families were in danger. We had to scramble to to get up into the stands to take care of our loved ones, some of them newborn babies. It's a total disaster, and there wasn't a single police officer for at least a half-hour. A disaster."
Luis Suarez was one of the few players to eventually come through the mixed zone, telling reporters he was upset at "the way he [Borja] celebrated."
"To celebrate in front of a professional colleague like that is ugly," Suarez claimed of their on-field clash before declaring, "but what goes around comes around."
It was hard to return to normalcy after the events, as everyone felt on edge. I walked around the stadium to my car over two hours after the final whistle. There were still some lingering Colombia fans on the streets and trash was littered everywhere. After an hour drive home and two radio appearances, the adrenaline would eventually wear off to make sleep possible.
Uruguay now have to refocus on playing Canada in the third-place match, which ironically is at the very same venue. During Jose Gimenez's emotional on-pitch interview, he pleaded with Charlotte police and Bank of America security to be more vigilant for Saturday's third-place game.
"I hope that when they are organizing this, they take a little more care and look out for the families and their surroundings," Gimenez said. "It's always the same, our families are suffering because of someone who takes two sips of something they don't know how to drink and then behave like they're children with no sense of respect. I hope that they are more careful in the next game because this is a total disaster."