Copa America final: Security breach as fans climb through air vents to enter soccer stadium | CNN (2024)

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Copa America final: Security breach as fans climb through air vents to enter soccer stadium | CNN? ›

Fans climb through air vents to enter soccer stadium

On Sunday night in Miami, fans climbed over walls and into ventilation shafts to get into the Hard Rock Stadium hosting the Copa America final. Ticketless fans forcing their way into the ground caused organisers to delay kick off, and there was chaos outside the stadium as gates closed to fans with valid tickets.

According to reports issued by the stadium owners, fans fought with police, broke walls and barricades and destroyed the stadium infrastructure. The worst damage was in the premium 72 Club area, where escalators were destroyed and there was glass and debris everywhere.

The stadium was shut when officials deemed the venue “at capacity.” Officials on Sunday estimated that “thousands” of fans were trying to forcefully enter the stadium without tickets, meaning there may be thousands of ticketed guests who were unable to enter the stadium.

A federal class action lawsuit was filed Friday on behalf of ticketed fans who were not allowed into the Copa América finals match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday, after “thousands of unticketed fans” breached security, prompting them to shut the stadium gates.

Some fans collapsed, while others were being forcefully detained by police. Officials began sharing statements on social media, addressing the “thousands of fans without tickets” attempting to enter the stadium. They ordered those without tickets to leave, to no avail.

football games have been damaged.” Hard Rock Stadium issued a statement late Sunday night saying that “unruly fans" were "breaking down walls and barricades and vandalizing the stadium, causing significant damage to the property.” The statement also said that Hard Rock Stadium “will continue to work with law ...

Reports said that an estimated 7,000 people without tickets gained entry to the stadium, and prior to kickoff, fans were crowding the aisles and walkways. Security personnel were seen clearing those areas once the game had begun and checking to see if fans without seats had tickets.

Fans appeared to breach the security gates at Hard Rock Stadium hours before the Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia. Footage showed fans pushing through gates, jumping fences and climbing through vents to enter the venue.

Messi injured his ankle during the Copa America final against Colombia last Sunday.

Who was responsible for Copa America security? ›

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.

Hooligans stormed the Copa América title match near Miami, keeping scores of paying customers outside the stadium and raising questions about whether the venue is prepared for the World Cup in two years, officials said Monday.

The stadium, home field of the NFL's Miami Dolphins with a capacity of more than 65,000 spectators, was overwhelmed when non-ticketed fans rushed the gates, climbing through security railings and air vents to get in.

Hard Rock Stadium, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF are working together with Ticketmaster to offer refunds to fans who purchased tickets on the primary market and were denied entry to the Copa America final, a stadium spokesman told USA TODAY Sports on Friday.

With 16 titles, Argentina is the most successful Copa América participant. Uruguay has 15, while Brazil has nine. The other champions are Paraguay, Peru and Chile, with two titles each, and Bolivia, and Colombia, who have each won one.

Copa America is a premier football competition for countries in South America. Starting in 1916 as the South American Football Championship, it is also the oldest running football tournament in the world and has been contested 47 times.

As the game played on Sunday night, reports surfaced on social media that ticketed fans found their seats were occupied and were unable to gain help from security to remove the trespassing fans. Some fans spent thousands of dollars on tickets; the high price attracted media attention in recent days.

At the time of writing, the next Copa America in June and July 2028 is slated to be in Paraguay as part of the South American confederation's (CONMEBOL) rotation policy for tournaments.

The United States is the only non-CONMEBOL country that hosted the event, having done so in both 2016 and 2024.

Copa América, quadrennial South American football (soccer) tournament that is the continent's premier competition in that sport. The Copa América is the world's oldest international football tournament.