Now We Know Who Caused That Colombian Soccer Riot

If you’re looking for someone to blame for the football riot in Cali, Colombia that left 80 people wounded, then we might have found your man. Apparently things got heated when referee Wilman Roldan refused to call a penalty kick for America di Cali, but the riot wasn’t really his fault. Because things didn’t turn really ugly until America coach Diego Edison Umana lost his mind and knocked his Deportivo di Cali counterpart Daniel Carreno flat on his back.

Carreno looks absolutely shocked – and very very angry – at being upended without warning. And then Umana walks away like a coward and all hell breaks loose in the stadium. You can see fans ripping the fences down and then the medics treating the inevitable injuries.

The Mayor of Cali has weighed in, and declared Umana “directly responsible” for the ensuing violence. And though Umana initially ran away, he’s now prepared to take his punishment like a man. “It’s my fault,” he’s said. “And if I have to leave soccer I’ll go.”

Seems they won’t be kicking Umana out altogether, but he did get an 11 game suspension from the Colombian league, while America’s “Red Baron” fan club has been slapped with a 10 game attendance ban.

[video spotted on Who Ate All the Pies?]

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Category: South America