Argentina players 'concerned' about families safety ahead the Copa América final
MIAMI — A day after Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa blasted CONMEBOL, South American soccer's governing body, for its staging of the 2024 Copa América in the United States, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez backed Bielsa's assessment of the organizers' shortcomings before Sunday's final against Colombia (8 p.m. ET, FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Notably, the pair expressed fear that there could be a repeat of the security failure that put Uruguayan players and their loved ones in harm's way following Wednesday's semifinal loss to Los Cafeteros.
"I hope nothing like that happens tomorrow," Scaloni said on Saturday during Argentina's pre-match press confrence. "My family is going to be there, the family of every player is going to be there. We can't be worrying."
Despite all the world-class players and teams on display at packed stadiums across the U.S. over the last three-plus weeks, the organization of USA 2024 has been plagued by problems ever since the opening match between Argentina and Canada in Atlanta on June 20.
Martínez took aim at the shoddy temporary grass field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after that game, and the complaints about the pitch conditions at other venues have remained consistent throughout the competition. The list of other grievances is a long one: amateurish officiating, third-rate television production (which CONMEBOL handles in-house), non-existent marketing and exorbitant ticket prices for fans.
But CONMEBOL's most shameful dereliction of duty by far was laid bare for the entire world to see in the moments after Wednesday's semi between Uruguay and Colombia in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Following the latter's 1-0 win, a brawl broke out in the stands near where the Uruguayan players' family members were sitting. With no security in sight and their loved ones — including mothers with infants and young children — in obvious and immediate danger, Uruguayan players entered the seating section to protect them. Shocking videos of several trading punches with yellow-clad fans have rocketed around the internet in the days since.
"The images were very sad," Scaloni said before referencing the comments made on Friday by Bielsa, one of his predecessors at the helm of the Albiceleste. "I absolutely agree with what he said about the fields, and after what happened with Colombia and Uruguay, I would like to say — especially looking at [Sunday's] match — I think that it's supposed to be a party. In addition to the joy of winning a title, it would be great if we could have a happy ending.
"Everyone in that position would have reacted in the same way," he continued, talking about the Uruguayan players. "I don't know if someone is to blame for that or not, but watching your family amid the riots — or even close to that — is something that will make you lose your mind."
Unfortunately for Argentina, the ugly scenes in Charlotte were reminiscent of those that occurred late last year before a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier at the iconic Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
"We had a similar situation in Brazil, my family members were close by, and there were women and children that were beaten," Martínez said. "So I think it'd be great if we could reinforce security and have a clearer division between Colombian and Argentinian fans in order to avoid any potential fight."
Added Scaloni: "The footage looks like something that could have happened 50 years ago, something that we had overcome. I am concerned if I think of tomorrow's game."
The coach also addressed Bielsa's suggestion that organizers had demanded that Argentina's players and staff stop talking publicly about the poor pitches, giving a different explanation for their recent silence on that topic.
"If the fields were in that condition at the beginning of the group stage, there was no way they could fix it," he said. "So I thought it was best not to talk about that, because otherwise it was like we're making excuses.
"We didn't want to use it as an excuse."
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered the United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him at @ByDougMcIntyre.
