Copa America 2024 final match was marred with a huge security breach before the game kicked off.
In viral footage, which we have shared in this report, fans could be seen beating the barricades and forcefully entering the match venue.
More footage showed fans clashing with security operatives before crashing down the ticket gates to have their way into the venue.
In another footage, some fans could be seen breaking through the roof of the sports stadium to gain access to the stands. A fan was seen covered with blood due to a clash with the security personnel while trying to force his way to the facility.
Impact of the security breach on the Copa America 2024 final
As expected, the gate break by raucous fans had a big impact on the match. Stadium security operatives were forced to attend to the breach which posed severe risks both to the players and law-abiding fans, who paid for the match tickets. The emergency security led to a delay in the kick-off. The match was initially scheduled to start at 9:22ET but was delayed by 82 minutes due to the disturbing situation.
Was Hard Rock Stadium capacity part of the problem?
Located in Miami City, Hard Rock Stadium is the biggest stadium in Miami with a capacity of 65,356. Organizers reportedly expected a sell-out crowd of 65,000 fans to attend the match. According to reports, fans who paid for tickets were allowed entry into the facility before the chaos at the gate. However, it has been established that the facility was not filled. Poor planning by the organizers have been blamed for the incident as it occurred when both paying and non-paying fans stood up at the entrance without being allowed entry.
Risk of unauthorized fans and bad planning problems
Both Argentina and Colombia fans were caught up in the ensuing crisis. Close sources reveal the problem started when paying fans were temporarily denied entry as the crowd at the gate kept rising. The gate was reportedly opened twice for early-arriving fans and again for a few others who arrived late before it was closed. This led to the forceful entry which posed a big risk to the match, the players, and ticket-holding fans. This is one of the reasons the kickoff had to be delayed to arrest the situation.
The whole bruhaha is as a result of bad planning. Organizers apparently underestimated the expected turn-out for the match. They also failed to provide adequate access logistics. And it got worse with a poor security structure.
Calls to stop the USA from hosting the 2026 World Cup rend the air after the Copa America 2024 crisis
Ticket-holding fans, who were affected by the saga, did not spare the hints as they lashed out at the USA for a poor organization of the tournament.
An Argentina fan, identified as Claudio, decried how he traveled from Argentina to watch the match, only to be stuck at the gate for hours. He added he was even suffocating in the process.
“They can’t organize a World Cup! It’s impossible,” Claudio said in Spanish. “People stuck against the gate for hours, unable to breathe,” he added.
Another angry Argentina fan, addressing the press about the incident in Spanish, said;
“…they attacked everyone. They cannot organize the World Cup.”
It was not only fans who raised concerns about the USA’s ability to host the World Cup after the countless security breaches throughout the tournament. Uruguay head coach, Marcelo Bielsa raised similar concerns while addressing the post-match clash between Colombia fans and Uruguay players.
For more about Marcelo Bielsa’s reaction, check our previous report HERE.
To further highlight the grave lapse in the security plan in the final, Argentina head coach, Lionel Scaloni, revealed that even players were worried that their families could not have access to the facility with some stuck among the crowd.
“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,” Scaloni said.
Away from the raucous pre-match atmosphere, Lautaro Martinez scored a 112th-minute goal to hand Argentina their 16th Copa America title, winning it back-to-back.
