Stadium, organizers point blame over Copa chaos

Hard Rock Stadium pointed the blame back at Copa América organizing body CONMEBOL on Tuesday, saying that stadium authorities “implemented, and in many cases exceeded, CONMEBOL’s security recommendations” after ticketless fans tried to force their way into the final between Argentina and Colombia.

Miami-Dade police said more than 800 law enforcement officers were at the match. In addition to the arrests, 55 people were ejected, they said.

It was a chaotic scene just hours before the scheduled 8 p.m. start of the championship match between the two South American countries: Fans forced their way in and jumped over security railings and ran past police officers and stadium attendants, some appearing hysterical as they searched for the people they arrived with.

The stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which is home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, will be the site of seven World Cup matches in 2026, including a quarterfinal and third-place match.

FIFA organizes the World Cup and oversees regional bodies like CONMEBOL. FIFA did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment on the crowd control issues and how it would prevent similar problems in 2026.

CONMEBOL pointed blame at Hard Rock Stadium, saying on Monday that the facility did not take into account its recommendations for the final of South America’s most important national team tournament.

The organization said in a statement it was disappointed about the scene in which countless fans entered the stadium without tickets and “tarnished” the event. The game was delayed for more than an hour as authorities worked to control the situation, eventually deciding to let some fans in without going through security checkpoints.

“In this situation, CONMEBOL was subject to the decisions made by the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, according to the contractual responsibilities established for security operations,” the organization said. “In addition to the preparations determined in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities the procedures proven in events of this magnitude, which were NOT taken into account.”

Hard Rock authorities on Tuesday said they “exceeded” CONMEBOL security recommendations.

“Hard Rock Stadium has safely hosted hundreds of world-class events in its 37-year history, including Super Bowls, major international soccer matches, Formula 1, NFL and college football, headline concert tours and other global events,” the venue authorities said in a statement.

“In each of those, security was a joint effort amongst the organizer, local law enforcement agencies and the venue. As we’ve previously said, Hard Rock Stadium worked collaboratively with CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and local law enforcement agencies on security both leading up to and during the Copa América tournament. The agencies met regularly, including daily security briefings throughout the month-long tournament.

“We will evaluate the protocols and processes in place across all aspects of stadium operations,” the statement read.

“We remain grateful for the law enforcement officers and stadium staff who worked to prioritize the safety of all attendees despite the unprecedented scale of aggressive and unlawful behavior on display from a subset of unruly fans.”

On a chaotic evening, the match was delayed by more than an hour and the Colombian federation president and his son were arrested after an altercation at the stadium following the game.

With the United States preparing to co-host the World Cup in two years, Miami-Dade County said it would review security protocol for the quadrennial tournament.

Attorney Steve Adelman, a crowd control expert and vice president of the Event Safety Alliance, said Hard Rock organizers failed to understand that Sunday’s game would bring out passionate fans desperate to see their teams, some willing to force their way inside.

“A match between fans of two rival South American nations is about as passionate as you’re going to get,” he said.

Adelman said organizers should have learned from the 2021 European Championship final at London’s Wembley Stadium, where ticketless England fans forced their way inside for their team’s match with Italy. The melee injured 19 police officers and resulted in 53 arrests.

“Unfortunately, international soccer matches have been marked by this sort of aggressive supporter behavior,” Adelman said. “This behavior is not desirable, it’s not good, but it is reasonably foreseeable. … They needed to plan for the crowd they were likely to have, not the crowd they wished they had.”

There appeared to be significant damage to the venue as a result. Video and images posted to social media showed the shattered side railings of an escalator inside the stadium, with shoes, soda cans, reading glasses and articles of clothing left behind. Security railings at a checkpoint in the southwest entrance to the stadium were bent over as thousands of people, including crying children, pushed against them.

The Hard Rock Stadium release said stadium officials communicated with tournament organizers around 8 p.m. and decided to open the gates to both ticketed and unticketed fans who were thrust against the entrance in fear of stampedes and serious injuries. The gates were then closed with many ticketed fans left outside.

Information from The Associated Press, Reuters and ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano was used in this report.