Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava admitted she was “outraged” by the chaotic scenes that marred Sunday night’s Copa America final.
The match between Argentina and Colombia at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium was delayed by more than an hour due to horrific crowd trouble, which saw fans breaching security gates.
Videos posted on social media showed fans jumping over security railings near the stadium’s southwest entrance and running past police officers and stadium attendants.
Screams could be heard in the background in footage captured around the stadium as people huddled together due to the massive congestion caused by the chaos.
The stadium will host the 2026 World Cup, but the scenes have raised fears that the United States is not ready for the arrival of millions of fans at the world’s biggest sporting event.
Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava admitted she was “outraged” by the chaos at the Copa America
Terrible crowd problems, which saw fans breach security gates, led to the game being delayed.
Panicked fans try to enter Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium amid Sunday chaos
Mayor Levine Cava insists a “complete review” will be done for Miami to host the World Cup
Mayor Levine Cava insists they will now conduct a “full review” of the incident after an embarrassing episode for both the city of Miami and the stadium.
A statement from Mayor Levine Cava and Public Safety Director James Reyes said: ‘We are outraged by the unprecedented events that occurred at tonight’s Copa America final.
‘The Copa America final is organized by CONMEBOL and the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) provides security support along with other law enforcement agencies.
‘Tonight, MDPD assigned more than 550 officers to the stadium, including our Priority Response Team, and is utilizing every resource possible to continue to ensure a safe experience for all attendees. Additionally, MDPD brought in additional personnel from other jurisdictions to support the safety and well-being of everyone.
‘Our top priority must be the safety of all of our residents and visitors, and we urge everyone attending tonight’s game to comply with all directives from law enforcement and security personnel for the safety of all attendees.
‘We have also received a security briefing from stadium operations regarding the plan to help fans safely exit following tonight’s game, and we continue to urge all attendees to pay close attention to all information and updates from law enforcement and stadium staff.
‘Let’s be clear: this situation should never have happened and cannot happen again.
“We will work with stadium leadership to ensure a full review of tonight’s events is conducted immediately to assess the full chain of events, in order to implement the necessary protocols and policies for all future games.”
Police arrest Colombian fan during CONMEBOL Copa América 2024 final
Fans who had spent huge sums of money on tickets were not allowed in after the gates closed.
Thousands of fans crowded into congested areas as they tried to get in.
A handful of people could be seen receiving medical treatment and begging for water in the sweltering South Florida heat.
Officers managed to push the crowd behind the gates and close the entrance so that no one could enter, although many fans with tickets had already reached their seats before that.
At first, security appeared to slightly open the doors to allow in only a handful of fans at a time, as other angry attendees pushed at the railings.
After the doors were closed again, security began slowly letting fans in around 8:10 p.m., with the new start time set for 9:15 p.m., but the commotion didn’t stop.
Fans again broke through the railings, and so many entered that security scanners swayed back and forth from the force.
Fans, dressed in uniforms from both teams, began running in multiple directions, some with children on their shoulders. Tickets were not being scanned and few police or stadium officials were seen in the crowd.
Some fans began climbing over fences to gain entry. Three police officers were seen handcuffing a fan with a Colombian flag on a ramp leading to the stadium seats.
The pre-final turmoil was the culmination of a series of problems throughout the 32-match tournament, from complaints about playing surfaces to criticism of referees and concerns about player safety.
Argentina won the Copa America thanks to a 1-0 victory over Colombia in extra time
The tournament and its organisers came under heavy criticism following an altercation after Colombia’s 1-0 win over Uruguay in their semi-final.
Just after referee Cesar Ramos blew the final whistle, Darwin Nunez and his Uruguay teammates climbed a staircase into a rowdy crowd, and video showed Nunez punching a fan wearing Colombian national team colours.
Uruguay captain Jose Gimenez said the players went into the crowd to protect their families, including their wives and children who were sitting in the stands behind the Uruguay bench.
Coach Marcelo Bielsa later criticised tournament organisers for not doing enough to protect their families as it took more than 10 minutes for police to arrive and restore order.
CONMEBOL later issued a statement condemning the violence, but did not provide further clarification on additional security measures for the final.
Scaloni, Martínez and Colombian midfielder Juan Quintero asked fans to remain calm during Sunday’s match.