The 2024 Copa América final will be remembered for many reasons other than the actual game.
The highly anticipated Sunday, July 14, match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., saw Argentina beat Columbia 1 – 0 after facing an 82-minute delayed start due to fans without tickets attempting to break into the venue.
Various videos from the event have circulated on X, formerly Twitter, showing children crying and being lifted out of the crowds to prevent being crushed, barricades falling under the weight of crowds, and people fanning themselves and sitting down on the ground in apparent physical distress. One woman could be seen screaming her daughter’s name after being separated in the chaos.
CONMEBOL, the organization that governs soccer in South America and organized the final, issued a statement putting the blame on Hard Rock Stadium.
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“In this situation, CONMEBOL was subject to the decisions made by the Hard Rock Stadium authorities according to the contractual responsibilities established for security operations,” their Monday, July 15 statement reads. “In addition to the preparations determined in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities the procedures proven in events of this magnitude, which were NOT taken into account.”
The organization said that fans without tickets “delayed the normal access of people who did have tickets, slowing down the entry and leading to the closure of doors.”
“We regret that the acts of violence caused by malicious individuals have tarnished a final that was ready to be a great sports celebration,” their statement added.
According to a media advisory from the Miami-Dade Police Department, over 800 law enforcement officers were present at the event following the “security concern” caused by the “numerous unruly fans.”
The department said that in addition to their being 27 arrests and 55 ejections, “extensive damage to stadium property” occurred.
Hard Rock Stadium also issued a statement expressing that preparations for the game “included an increase in the number of law enforcement officers and security on hand, with more than double the personnel than a typical at-capacity stadium event.”
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The stadium said that “various” gates were “closed and re-opened strategically” after fans without tickets began to “overpower security and law enforcement personnel” throughout the afternoon and evening.
According to the venue, fans, however, “continued to engage in illegal conduct — fighting police officers, breaking down walls and barricades and vandalizing the stadium, causing significant damage to the property.”
After the decision to delay the game was made, the stadium says the gates were opened once again “for a short period of time to all fans to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter.”
“The gates were then closed once the threat of fans being crushed was alleviated. At that time, the venue was at capacity, and gates were not re-opened,” the statement continued, noting that alcohol sales were also stopped.
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The statement ended with the stadium promising to address the ” individual concerns” of ticket holders who were not able to get into the game.
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“It is disappointing that a night of celebration was impacted by unlawful and unsafe behavior, and we will fully review the processes and protocols in place tonight and work with law enforcement to ensure such an event never happens again,” the statement added.
