CONMEBOL pushed back kickoff of the Copa America final to 9:15 p.m. local time Sunday — 75 minutes after the originally scheduled start — after fans breached security at one of the gates at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The highly anticipated final between Argentina and Colombia was delayed after a stadium spokesperson said “thousands of fans” attempted to enter the venue without tickets. The match was pushed back three times — from 8 to 8:30, to 8:45 and finally to 9:15.
Photos and videos on social media showed some fans had forced their way inside hours before the match. Police managed to close the gates and initiate a lockdown, leading to scores of people stuck outside and trying to enter.
CONMEBOL — the South American soccer organizing body — said in a statement that only fans with tickets would be allowed entry, and statements from Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami-Dade police urged fans without tickets to leave the area.
“In anticipation of tonight’s Copa America Final, thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, putting other fans, security and law enforcement officers at extreme risk,” a statement from a Hard Rock Stadium spokesperson said. “Security has shut the gates in order to control the entry process at a much slower rate and ensure everyone is kept safe.”
“We have had several incidents prior to the gates opening at Hard Rock Stadium for the Copa America final game,” the Miami-Dade police said 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.”
Both teams were taken off the field as the chaos brewed outside. They have since returned for a quick warmup before the new kickoff time. FOX sideline reporter Jenny Taft was among those able to relay scenes from on the ground.
“I do have a cop who was standing right next to me,” Taft said on FOX. “Unfortunately he is telling me that the scenes outside have not gotten better. …
“They’re encouraging the fans that do not have tickets to leave the area. That’s slowing everything down. It is madness outside.”
CONMEBOL has been roundly criticized during the month-long tournament, which has featured South American national teams as well as the U.S. men’s national team, Canada, Mexico and others. Canada head coach Jesse Marsch said his team has been treated like “second-class citizens,” while at the end of a semifinal match Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C., players for Uruguay entered the stands to fight with Colombia supporters.
–Field Level Media
