Marsch: Canada treated like 'second-class citizens' at Copa America

Canada coach Jesse Marsch denounced the unique challenges faced by the CONCACAF teams competing at this summer's Copa America, saying his side has been treated like "second-class citizens" during the tournament.

Marsch, speaking to reporters ahead of Saturday's third-place match against Uruguay, lamented the double standard he says has been applied throughout the competition in the United States. He highlighted the yellow card per foul rate, saying it has been "way higher for every CONCACAF team," before commenting on the brawl between Uruguayan players and Colombian fans following that semifinal match earlier this week.

"Certainly we wouldn't want any player's families to be put in harm's way. But I know if our team responded like this, that there would be heavy sanctions," Marsch said when discussing the incident that saw Darwin Nunez and several teammates go into the stands and clash with Colombia supporters to protect their family members in the crowd.

He added: "We've had our players headbutted, we've had racial slurs thrown at our players live and through social media ... We've been treated like second-class citizens."

CONMEBOL, which is investigating the aforementioned melee, has yet to provide any update on possible sanctions for those involved. Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa lambasted the South American governing body for its lack of organization in a ferocious rant Friday.

Marsch, without going quite so far as the tactician he succeeded at Leeds United in 2022, said the tournament has "not been professional," singling out the officiating as particularly substandard.

The 50-year-old bench boss commended his players for their resilience and professionalism despite everything they've had to deal with.

"They've never berated referees, never rolled around on the ground like children looking for calls and yellows from referees," he said.

"We're going to go out again in another tough match against a really good opponent (Saturday against Uruguay) and know that there's going to be many things going against us."