The start time of the Copa America Final between Argentina and Colombia was delayed by more than an hour on Sunday. And despite the match taking place in a tropical storm-prone city like Miami, the weather had nothing to do with the late kickoff.
Social media videos showed fans bypassing security at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens ahead of Copa America’s most important match.
Scary Scenes in Miami, as the gates are breached at Hard Rock Stadium for Sunday night's Argentina-Colombia Copa America final. Truly hoping this situation is safely resolved before kickoff. [Via @the_bonnfire]pic.twitter.com/rNYyFIoclF
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 14, 2024
Mainly dressed in Colombia’s yellow and red, plenty of people were seen scaling security railings near the stadium’s southwest entrance and bypassing police and stadium staff, leading to chaotic scenes.
Absolute madness. A tragedy and an embarrassment pic.twitter.com/j2Lsdoc1LU
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) July 15, 2024
Desperate to get in without paying, others snuck in through alternate entrances such as air vents.
More people getting into the game through⊠what??? The vent??
What is happening in the Copa America Final? pic.twitter.com/QKgkwEmnCW
— Tactical Manager (@ManagerTactical) July 15, 2024
In the midst of it all, Copa America organizers CONMEBOL issued a statement to social media, urging those without tickets to leave in an attempt to mend the madness.
Informamos que las personas que no cuentan con tickets no podrĂĄn ingresar al estadio. Solo aquellos que tengan tickets adquiridos podrĂĄn hacer el ingreso una vez que vuelvan a ser habilitados los accesos.
Informamos que el partido se retrasarĂĄ 30 minutos, iniciando a las 20:30âŠ
— CONMEBOL Copa AmĂ©ricaâąïž (@CopaAmerica) July 14, 2024
But as those without tickets continued to get through, left stranded outside the gates were individuals who paid for spots, some of whom spent thousands of dollars for their tickets.
Fans outside with tickets not allowed into stadium. Guy saying âI paid $2000 per ticketâ pic.twitter.com/ErTOY34hCL
— Maximiliano Bretos (@MaxBretosSports) July 15, 2024
The suite level of the Miami stadium, which is set to host World Cup matches in two years, was especially compromised with stampede-like scenes occurring throughout the section.
A look inside the situation at Hard Rock Stadium on the Suite Level.
Expected kickoff is still set for 8:45pm ET. pic.twitter.com/o95chh9pGq
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 15, 2024
Unsurprisingly, property within the 65,000-seat arena was damaged.
A look at the escalator to the '72 Club' at Hard Rock Stadium after tonight's Copa América Final:
pic.twitter.com/2doiN0eu9l— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 15, 2024
With the match finally beginning around 9:45 pm ET, the fiasco affected players on both sides.
“It is tough to explain what happened before the game,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said in Spanish during a Sunday press conference. “We had players waiting for their family members to get into the stadium, waiting for an hour. We had to start a match without knowing where our family members were. I think the players for Colombia were going through the same thing. It was very weird.”
Photos from the pitch show a noticeable lack of space as fans without seats occupied stairs and aisles.
Friend of mine is at Copa America final in Miami.
âPeople just rushed in⊠There are tons of ppl sitting in the aisles.â
He has tickets but said even his werenât scanned. pic.twitter.com/a6AFChRbCQ
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) July 15, 2024
The Hard Rock Stadium later confirmed that the decision to open the gates was made to prevent further injuries.
âWe understand there are disappointed ticket holders who were not able to enter the stadium after the perimeter was closed, and we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address those individual concerns,â the Monday statement said. âUltimately, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of all guests and staff, and that will always remain our priority.â
— Hard Rock Stadium (@HardRockStadium) July 15, 2024
Amidst plenty of arrests and injuries, Argentina ultimately won the contest by a 1-0 score.
With multiple matches at the 2026 World Cup set to be played in Miami Gardens, many hope that organizers have learned a valuable lesson in crowd control.
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