The wife of Colombian defender Daniel Muñoz recounted the “terrible” scene outside of Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday when “reckless people” rushed the gates ahead of the Copa America final.
Manuela Ángel, who was attending the highly anticipated matchup between Argentina and Colombia with her children and other family members, recalled the chaos unfolding in Miami Gardens and was bleeding due to a 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,” Ángel 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.
“One police officer helped me because she saw me crying. I told her I was Daniel’s wife and that I was concerned for my children’s well-being. Entering other stadiums (during the tournament) has been fine but tonight was terrible. Just terrible.”
Muñoz’s family was gathered together “inside the entrance shortly after the gates were closed,” The Athletic detailed.
Keep up with The Post’s coverage of Copa America’s wild final
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- Wife of Colombia’s Daniel Muñoz bloodied, crying with young children during ‘terrible’ Copa America mayhem
- Argentina wins second straight Copa America title in extra time with Lionel Messi injured
Some attending the championship showdown, a 1-0 Argentina win, tried to “forcibly enter” without tickets, a spokesperson for Hard Rock Stadium said in a statement, while others climbed fences and attempted access through vents.
The match’s start time was delayed by 75 minutes from 8 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.
“It was inhuman,” Silvina, the mother of Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, recalled to The Athletic.
“He gave us a hug. We told him to stay calm and get ready to play.”
Footage of the harrowing ordeal captured hordes of fans pouring through the gates and onto the stadium’s pavilion as security personnel attempted to chase several down.
A number of fans were arrested for trying to enter without tickets and for hopping fences, The Athletic reported.
A spokesperson for Hard Rock Stadium later elaborated on the decision to permit fans inside the venue without their tickets being scanned.
“In collaboration with CONMEBOL and law enforcement officers, the decision was made to open the stadium gates for a short period of time to all fans in order to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter. There was serious concern of fans being crushed in an attempt to enter. Law enforcement and security personnel were immediately deployed throughout the stadium and surrounding area to keep fans as safe as possible in light of this unprecedented situation,” the statement read, per USA Today.
The unruliness continued inside the stadium, where an escalator was destroyed and fans opened a giant bag of popcorn from a concession stand and poured it around the surrounding area.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava expressed “outrage” over the tumultuous series of events in a joint statement with Chief Public Safety Officer James Reyes.
“Let’s be clear: The 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 and all future games,” the statement read.
Hard Rock Stadium is one of the several North American venues playing host to the World Cup in two years.