Scuffle at Copa America gate in Miami prevents ticketed fans from entering the game

Hooligans stormed the Copa America title game near Miami, forcing scores of paying customers out of the stadium and raising questions about whether the venue is ready to host the World Cup in two years, officials said Monday. .

Fans with tickets said they encountered “complete chaos” and “devastation” when they tried to get through the entire Hard Rock Stadium, where Argentina played Colombia in a match that started nearly 90 minutes late on Sunday. Was defeated.

The Hard Rock is one of 11 U.S. stadiums being used for the 2026 World Cup, which is also being played in Mexico and Canada.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Levine Cava said she has ordered a “full review of last night’s events” so that “we can learn everything possible moving forward as we prepare for the 2026 World Cup.”

“I was outraged by those unprecedented events,” she told reporters at an event unveiling the 2024-25 county budget.

Dr. Manuel Fonseca spent $3,600 for a pair of tickets to see all-time Argentine great Lionel Messi compete for possibly his last major trophy.

“I’ve been to the Hard Rock several times and I was expecting a very safe environment,” said Fonseca, who was out Sunday night with his pregnant wife. “But when I got there it was complete chaos.”

A representative of FIFA, the world football governing body that organizes the World Cup, could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday.

Once non-ticketed fans were inside, certain gates were strategically closed and reopened in an effort to allow ticketed guests to enter in a safe and controlled manner. Hard Rock Stadium Operator on Monday.

The Hard Rock statement said the gate closures led to more problems as some unruly fans “engaged in illegal conduct – fighting police officers, breaking down walls and barricades, and vandalizing the stadium”.

“It was devastation,” shutout fan Rebecca Hwang told NBC News. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

And once the stadium reached capacity, officials said they had no choice but to keep fans out, even those with tickets.

According to the statement from Hard Rock Stadium, “We understand that there are disappointed ticket holders who were not able to enter the stadium following the perimeter closure, and we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address those individual concerns. “

“Ultimately, nothing is more important than the health and safety of all guests and employees, and that will always be our priority.”

Hwang said she was crushed for her 6- and 9-year-old children, who had spent months learning about the teams and following the competition before flying cross-country to Florida — only to be greeted by “criminals. Treated like that.”

“Seeing people who had illegally taken our seats in the stadium enjoying our seats, there was no explanation, and we weren’t even near a water bottle or medics,” said Hwang, a lecturer at Stanford University. “We, those who got tickets, were treated like criminals behind the fence.”

Fans wandered from door to door holding tickets, hoping someone would let them in.

“There were a lot of people in the same situation, hundreds of people going back and forth for every exit,” Hwang said. “Frustration would be the understatement of the century.”

Fonseca and his wife continued to roam the perimeter of the stadium, but gave up after hearing Shakira perform at intermission.

“There’s no way they’re going to let us in,” Fonseca said he thought to himself at the time.

The match was due to start at 8pm, but as obstructions arose at the gate, officials moved the kick-off forward – first to 8:30pm, then to 8:45pm and finally to 9:15pm, before the action came to a close at Starts at 9:22.

Fonseka raised questions about whether stadium managers are qualified to handle the World Cup in two years.

“It’s going to be a lot crazier and I don’t think they’re going to be prepared if it’s going to be like what we saw yesterday,” he told NBC South Florida.

There was also unrest inside the Hard Rock after the game when Ramon Jesurun, 71, the head of soccer’s governing body in Colombia, and his 43-year-old son were both arrested in a clash with security guards after the match, officials said.

According to a Miami-Dade police report, they were in a tunnel leading to the pitch when a uniformed security guard managing foot traffic asked several pedestrians to stop.

Officials said Jesurun and his son, who has the same name as his father, rejected orders that allegedly called for a fight with security.

The football chief’s son allegedly kicked a security guard in the head during a fight, police said.

He was jailed on Monday morning and a representative of the football federation could not immediately be reached for comment.