Ticketing, Security Failures Mar Copa America Final in Miami

By Dave Clark 12 months ago
Screenshot of a video showing a young child in a Colombia shirt crying as she is lifted over a security barrier by her family and a police officer.
Screenshot of a video showing a young child in a Colombia shirt crying as she is lifted over a security barrier by her family and a police officer.

Massive security and ticketing system failures caused chaos at Sunday’s final of the Copa America at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which has raised significant questions regarding the World Cup in two years at venues across North America.

Fans who had paid up to several thousand dollars per seat for the game between Argentina and Columbia were stranded in huge security corrals for hours in searing heat, causing the game’s start to be delayed. Entry gates were eventually opened to anyone with no tickets checked, then closed once the venue reached capacity, locking out many with valid tickets. A statement from Hard Rock Stadium released early Monday morning pointed at “unruly fans without tickets” making repeated attempts to overpower security for causing the mess at entry gates.

“When it became apparent that it would not be safe to start the match at 8 p.m., a joint decision was made to postpone,” reads their statement, in part. “Shortly after 8 p.m., stadium officials, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and law enforcement officers communicated and decided to open stadium gates 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,” it continues. “At that time, the venue was at capacity and gates were not re-opened. Shortly after the match started, alcohol sales were stopped and event organizers instituted a detailed plan and increased security presence to allow for a peaceful egress upon the conclusion of the match.”

“We 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. Ultimately, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of all guests and staff, and that will always remain our priority.”

Ticketmaster is the ticketing system required for use at all Hard Rock Stadium events. They have not issued any public statement regarding the chaotic scene, though they almost universally attempt to blame ticket resale or fraudulent behavior when entry procedures fail at a high profile event. CONMEMBOL – South America’s soccer organization which ran the tournament – also has not spoken with any detail regarding what happened. The tournament had already seen some ugly scenes, including a brawl after Argentina’s semifinal win over Uruguay that included players entering the stands to protect members of their family from unruly fans.

Players were once again impacted by the messy organization, as many reportedly had friends and family caught outside of the building in the crowd crush.

“It is tough to explain what happened before the game,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter. “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.”

It was clear early that things were not going right at the stadium entry on Sunday evening. Massive crowds were stuck in long lines outside of entry gates on a day where temperatures soared in south Florida. The game’s start was delayed multiple times as event staff worked to overcome the backlog, but reports of fans fainting in the crush and breaches of security areas as the throng tried to get in are widespread.

Police were reportedly working through the stadium during the game checking for tickets and removing people who did not have any – though it should be pointed out that if one person attending had a group’s mobile-locked tickets on their device, and were separated from others in their group in the chaos, that would leave many people without proof of having a ticket of their own.

Thankfully, reports of serious incidents or injuries have not come to light after the chaotic scene. Fans who were able to get into the stadium were treated to a classic contest between the South American powerhouses – Argentina won 1-0 in extra time. But the messy situation has raised serious questions regarding the upcoming World Cup in North America. That event, in two years, includes seven games scheduled for Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium among the contests.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and public safety chief James Reyes released a statement condemning the mess while the game was still in progress.

“Let’s be clear: This situation should have never taken place and cannot happen again,” they said in the joint statement. “We will work with stadium leadership to ensure that a full review of tonight’s events takes place immediately to evaluate the full chain of events, in order to put in place needed protocols and policies for all future games.”

The mess is reminiscent of the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2022, where policing and security failures caused similar messy entry and a game start delay for that contest in Paris. Following that debacle, officials attempted to pin the blame on Liverpool fans and ticket resale for the dangerous conditions, only to have it revealed that planning failures were behind the mess rather than the usual scapegoats.

It will be telling to see if the blame on unruly fans pans out – as CONMEBOL had previously stated that fans would not be able even enter the stadium parking lots without proof of having a ticket in advance of the sold-out contest.

Scenes from Sunday night, sourced from social media posts: