Players deserve apology, not sanctions: Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa

Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa thinks his players deserve an apology, not sanctions, for going into the stands at Bank of America Stadium and participating in a fight with Colombia fans following his team's 1-0 Copa America semifinal loss.

An angry Bielsa criticised tournament organizers for not doing enough to protect the families of players seated behind the Uruguay bench and he justified players taking matters into their own hands to protect their loved ones.

"We are in the United States, the country of security," Bielsa said through an interpreter during an emotional 45-minute news conference Friday.

"How can you not defend your mother, your sister, a baby? If they did not do it, they would have been condemned by all of us."

CONMEBOL, South American soccer's governing body, said on Thursday its disciplinary committee opened an investigation.

"It is unacceptable that an incident like this turns passion into violence," the federation said in a statement.

Asked if he feared sancti