Argentina retains the Copa America winning their 16th title after fans storm the gates in Miami in disaster for CONMEBOL

Scenes reminiscent of what Liverpool fans experienced in Paris two years ago emerged at the southwest gate of Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium during the Copa America final.

Thousands of Colombian and Argentinian fans—both ticketed and unticketed—congested the entrance as Miami-Dade police and security kept the gates closed. After multiple delays, the game finally started with the gates opened to prevent further injuries or worse.

“In coordination with CONMEBOL and law enforcement officials, the decision was made to open the stadium gates to all fans for a short period of time to prevent the possibility of a mass intrusion and serious injury,” a Hard Rock Stadium spokesperson told the Miami Herald‘There were serious concerns that fans would be crushed to get in. Police and security personnel were immediately deployed to the stadium and surrounding area to keep fans as safe as possible in light of this unprecedented situation.’

But this decision and the associated security measures raise many questions about whether we can invite the whole world to the World Cup in two years’ time – not just to this location, but to the entire country.

Still, the match went ahead. Extra time was even needed, even though the match seemed to be a close second to previous events. But that doesn’t matter to Lautaro Martinez and Argentina, who won their record-breaking 16th Copa America title in the boots of the Inter Milan striker.

The decision to allow the match to go ahead – and many more decisions taken by CONMEBOL tonight – should bring shame on the federation. Thousands of people entered without tickets and vandalism destroyed parts of the club area.

Hours of standing in the hot Florida sun led to anger and frustration as the fences were breached and hundreds of Colombia fans rushed in. Police then closed the fences and only let in a few at a time. Even journalists were subjected to these measures.

Chaos ensued as fans pressed their faces toward the gates, with people fainting from the heat and being rushed for medical attention.

After closing time, the crowds did not diminish and the police had no choice but to let people in without periodically checking their tickets or bags. Fans found people without tickets in their seats who did not want to leave and security was powerless to remove them. Eventually, the police began checking sections one by one for tickets.

Even after kickoff, social media videos showed people climb the gates And through ventilation openings to try to get in. All told, there were thousands in this stadium who shouldn’t have been there.

Once inside, reports of vandalism began to appear on social media. Several people attempted to storm the ’72 Club’ and inside, escalators were destroyed and glass was smashed.

It is a damning indictment of the preparation for this tournament. It has been raised by coaches and players and the highlight was tonight.

With a World Cup just a few years away, the United States didn’t get a passing grade for its approach to the Copa America from an external perspective. From ticket prices to half-empty stadiums to pitch sizes, there seemed to be obstacles for teams to overcome at every level.

But in the end, it was up to CONMEBOL to take care of these things. The federation should be ashamed of the way this tournament was organized. After all, it was the federation that organized everything – including the security – and their lack of preparation caused many people to get injured on this day and could have led to much worse things.

That control should also encompass the decision to play this match. With thousands of people inside without tickets – many of whom had not been checked by security – more than an hour after this match was due to start, Lionel Messi got the ball rolling.

Even with the apparent disregard for trivial matters such as seat numbers and fire capacity, the crowd was a chorus and tapestry of colour, with the yellow of Colombia and the blue and white of Argentina mingling throughout the lower bowl of the stadium.

The chorus of fans wasn’t bad either. ‘I’m Argentinian, it’s a feeling I can’t stop’ was met with ‘Let’s go Colombia, tonight we’re going to win’. Chants of ‘Messi Messi’ saw responses of ‘James James’ for the Cafateros maestro, Rodriguez.

The football was also suitably symphonic – but more Wagner than Mozart. Brutal challenges sent players flying all over the pitch at both ends while referee Raphael Claus largely let both teams continue – except for the most obvious fouls.

A magical match-up between Messi and James was promised and initially it looked like the Argentine maestro would outperform his Colombian counterpart. The match didn’t end the way either side wanted it to – Messi was substituted early with an injury and James made an impact but failed to capitalize.

Messi didn’t leave without his share of bruises. Early in the match, he picked up a nail on his ankle and rolled around the pitch in pain as tens of thousands of Argentinians held their breath. He returned to the pitch as dozens of his countrymen applauded.

But disaster struck again when Messi was injured in the 64th minute due to a non-contact injury. After being on the ground for several minutes, the 37-year-old – who had not impressed at all this Copa America – was replaced by Nico Gonzalez in what may be his last appearance at a major tournament.

He threw his right boot to the ground in anger as the crowd chanted his name and bowed. Tears streamed down Messi’s face – this was it, his time with Argentina at the Copa America, and perhaps the World Cup, was over.

Argentina thought they had found their breakthrough thanks to a striking boot from Messi’s replacement Nico Gonzalez, prompting wild celebrations but were immediately squashed by the linesman who flagged the ball away for offside.

Gonzalez had another chance with three minutes left in regulation time, but his header went over the mouth of the goal and past Julian Alvarez at the far post. No chances were taken and so the match went into extra time.

The first period of overtime really showed how rough this match was. Bodies fell to the ground with late lunges and kicks and Claus was not having it.

There were plenty of chances, however, with Luis Diaz’s shot going wide midway through the break perhaps the best effort of the first 15 minutes of extra time.

Fatigue was clearly starting to set in during the second 15 minutes and that was exactly what led to Argentina’s breakthrough. A well-timed tackle from Rodrigo De Paul was met and found by Lautaro Martinez. Martinez passed to Giovanni Lo Celso – who played the ball back to Martinez. He cut through the Colombian defence and fired home a perfect shot for a 1-0 lead.

A sea of ​​Albiceleste scarves, shirts and flags fluttered in the Miami night as the yellow-clad crowd stood still in shock.

As the press box shook, the final whistle blew on a night that will stay with Argentine fans for years to come. But it will also be a damning indictment of a tournament riddled with problems, with the entire world set to be invited in 2026.