Luis Suárez has come out in support of his Uruguay teammates who stormed into the stands after the 1-0 loss at the hands of Colombia by saying that it was an act needed to defend their families and kids.
Uruguay forward Darwin Núñez went into the stands and threw punches at the Colombian fans before the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police restored peace at the venue.
Reflecting on the incident, Suárez told that what unfolded was truly unfortunate but the Uruguay players felt compelled to defend their families.
"Obviously when one has your woman, your little child, your father, elderly people you want to go and see if they're OK," Suárez was quoted as saying by PTI.
"Here these things, it's an image that no one wants to have created but obviously if someone is attacking your family you want to go and defend them. But that doesn't justify the image that it created. We had to protect our families that were there," he added.
Suárez's teammate José María Giménez echoed his sentiments and termed the situation a "disaster".
"Our family is in danger," Giménez told Fox.
"We had to get on top of the stands ASAP to rescue our loved ones with babies. It's a disaster because all of the matches are the same. Our families are in danger because of some who drink one or two shots of alcohol that don't know to drink and behave like children."
The Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa revealed that he was totally oblivious to the brawl and was under the impression that his players were "thanking the fans for their support".
"There was some argument in the midfield, and when I saw that happening, I went to the locker room. I thought they were thanking the fans for their support," Bielsa said after the game.
