MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JULY 14: Fans try to enter the stadium amid disturbances prior to the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Final match between Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium on July 14, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
1:22 PM – Monday, July 15, 2024
Chaos broke out at the Copa America Final after a rush of fans without tickets attempted to break into the stadiums, delaying the game for over an hour and causing stadium structural damage.
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Images and videos uploaded on X (Twitter) show fans destroying an escalator at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. In some of the images, one can see broken glass in and around a set of escalators as well as broken handrails at the bottom that appear to have collapsed.
Thousands of crazed fans, whose unruly behavior prompted the game to start late, were also blamed for forcing security personnel to open the gates to the public at one point in order to prevent stampedes.
Many fans who took to social media platforms expressed their anger and felt that Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Colombia was overshadowed by the chaos.
Those without tickets had even attempted to crawl through vents in order to enter the stadium, according to reports.
Additionally, more videos and photos from before the game show bloodied fans, with some being detained by police officers.
Manuela Ngel, the wife of Colombia soccer player Daniel Muñoz, was left with noticeable wounds and a large cut on her wrist.
“We were standing in line as a family waiting to get in, and then the reckless people behind me started to push me,” Engel told The Athletic. “They thought I was causing chaos, so I was pushed towards the police officers, away from the line. They started yelling at my children. My oldest is 6 years old, and my youngest isn’t even 2 yet. I’m here with Daniel’s grandmother, his mother, his aunt, and other family members. I suffered the most because I was in front of all of them. I had the tickets.”
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D-Fla.) and chief public safety officer James Reyes released a joint statement explaining how this kind of situation should have never occurred in the first place.
“We are outraged by the unprecedented events at [Sunday’s] Copa America finals,” they said. “Let’s be clear: This situation should never have taken place and cannot happen again. 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.”
In addition, a slew of fans who had “spent thousands of dollars” on tickets were not able to enter the stadium and are now demanding refunds.
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