Hard Rock Stadium was placed under lockdown shortly before the scheduled start time of the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, with the kickoff time delayed by more than an hour amid safety issues caused in part by ticketless fans attempting to make their way into the venue.
Supporters breached the gates around 6 p.m. local time, two hours before the game was scheduled to kick off. Videos quickly emerged on social media showing fans running past security guards and evading those who were on the ground to scan tickets. Several fans are suspected not to have tickets to the soldout match at Hard Rock Stadium, which seats up to 75,000 people. Several supporters made their way into the stadium, including the family of Colombia’s Daniel Munoz — his mother was in tears and his grandmother lost a shoe on the way in, per The Athletic.
Roughly a half hour after the breach, security officials closed the gates at Hard Rock Stadium as thousands of people remained stuck outside the stadium on a hot and humid day in Miami Gardens. Security switched on and off between letting fans in, but only allowed supporters to enter at a glacial pace. With roughly an hour to go until kickoff, just two gates were open, but gates were shut again with 40 minutes remaining before the game began, per The Athletic.
“There was a rushing in of fans when they opened the gate and because of that, they closed all the gates and were not opening them at all,” said CBS Sports Golazo Network’s Jenny Chiu, who is on site at the Hard Rock Stadium. “They do not have the infrastructure for this. They don’t have raid gear,” she said of the security operation at the venue. “They don’t have the security that they need and it’s very evident.”
Players began warm-ups as scheduled roughly 45 minutes before the originally-scheduled kickoff time but after about 15 minutes, they were whisked away by security as soon as officials declared a lockdown. Tournament organizers subsequently pushed kickoff by a half-hour with the stadium about half full.
At least seven people were being treated during the incident and at least 10 people were arrested, per USA Today.
“We have had several severe incidents prior to the gates opening at Hard Rock Stadium for the Copa America final game,” the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement issued on social media. “These incidents have been a result of the unruly behavior of fans trying to access the stadium. We are asking everyone to be patient, and abide. by the rules set by our officers and Hard Rock Stadium personnel. We are actively working with Hard Rock Stadium to ensure a safe environment for all those attending. Unruly behavior will get you ejected and/or arrested. We have a zero tolerance policy against unruly conduct from everyone attending.”
CONMEBOL echoed that statement with a message of their own.
“We would like to inform you that individuals without tickets will not be allowed entry into the stadium,” CONMEBOL wrote. “Only those with purchased tickets will be permitted entry once access is reopened.”
It marks the latest security issue at the Copa America, which has been plagued by organizational failures by South American soccer’s governing body, CONMEBOL. Just four days earlier, Uruguay players ventured into the stands at Charlotte’s Bank of America to fight Colombia supporters after their 1-0 loss in the semifinals. Uruguay’s Jose Maria Gimenez claimed his team started the brawl because Colombia supporters were endangering the Uruguay players’ families in that section, saying there was “not one single policeman” to guard their loved ones during the match.
The security issue at the Hard Rock Stadium resembles the final of the pandemic-delayed European Championship three years ago, when thousands of ticketless fans forced their way into London’s Wembley Stadium to watch Italy beat England on penalties. Eighty-six people were arrested in relation to the event and 19 police officers were injured.
