Copa America faced another security embarrassment ahead of the tournament’s championship showdown between Argentina and Colombia.
The start time of the match was pushed back and the teams were pulled from the field after chaotic scenes erupted outside the stadium as fans tried to rush the entrances at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday night.
In a statement released by Hard Rock Stadium, the venue said that fans without tickets had “attempted to forcibly enter the stadium” which created an “extreme risk.”
Video and reporting outside the stadium indicated that fans without tickets had been trying to gain access to the stadium grounds, delaying the ability of Hard Rock Stadium security to allow people with tickets into the venue and creating a dangerous situation.
In one video posted by Sporting News, fans could be seen pushing toward one of the stadium’s entrances as police officers attempted to halt people from going through.
Fans wearing soccer jerseys could be seen sprinting by the camera, and at one point one shirtless fan could be seen being grabbed by a uniformed officer.
Another video showed a more violent scene where police officers could be seen scuffling with fans as they tried to keep people from getting through one of the gates. It was unclear which gate that was.
A post on X by one user showed officers chasing one fan up a staircase and arresting him before it cuts to other fans — presumably having entered without tickets — being detained.
Miami-Dade Police acknowledged there had been several incidents ahead of the Copa America final.
“These incidents have been a result of the unruly behavior of fans trying to access the stadium,” a statement from police read. “We are asking everyone to be patient and abide by the rules set by our officers and Hard Rock Stadium personnel. We are actively working with Hard Rock Stadium to ensure a safe environment for all those attending. Unruly behavior will get you ejected and/or arrested. We have a ZERO Tolerance behavior against unruly conduct from everyone attending.”
In a statement of their own, CONMEBOL, the event organizer, said that “people who do not have tickets will not be able to enter the stadium. Only those who have purchased tickets will be able to enter the stadium once the gates are reopened.”
The chaos outside of the stadium pushed back the start time of the match to 9:15 p.m. and the gates were closed at 6 p.m, as authorities tried to regain control of the situation.
That created another situation with temps in Miami reaching as high as 88 degrees, according to The Athletic, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue had to set up stations for people dealing with heat exhaustion.
A police spokesperson told the outlet that there were multiple arrests for battery on a police officer as well as trespassing.
The Athletic additionally reported that it was told by a police officer that the southwest entrance at Hard Rock Stadium had to be closed because of fans trying to get through without tickets.
The chaotic scene came just days after Copa America suffered a separate black eye when a lapse in security led to family members of the Uruguayan team being confronted by Colombian fans at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and players rushing into the stands to defend them.
The incident led to harsh criticism from Uraguay coach Marcelo Bielsa toward the tournament’s organizers and raised security concerns heading into the Copa America final.