Hundreds of Colombian fans forced the gates of the Hard Rock Stadium and many others were nearly crushed to death just before the Copa America final against Argentina on Sunday.
Dozens of fans in yellow Colombian shirts were seen breaking through iron gates and running onto the stadium grounds. It is unclear whether these fans had tickets or were simply gate crashers. The day before, organizers had told fans not to travel to Hard Rock Stadium unless they had a ticket.
The scene was eerily similar to the 2020 European Championship final at Wembley in 2021, when hundreds of England fans stormed the gates and forced their way inside.
Sunday’s highly anticipated final featuring Argentinian Lionel Messi is completely sold out, meaning that 65,000 ticket holders and other fans have been baking in the 32-degree heat for hours before kick-off.
Police arrested several people on Sunday. In one case, a man with what appeared to be an ID walked through the media entrance but was tackled and handcuffed by officers. About a dozen people were arrested and another seven were seen receiving medical treatment from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, USA Today reported.
Police Arrest Colombian Fan During CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Final
The scene outside Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium was chaotic long before kickoff at 8 p.m.
Fans forced open the front gates before flooding onto the Hard Rock Stadium grounds
“It was madness, people were trying to get in like crazy,” David Fernandez, a Colombia fan from Florida, told AFP.
“They just didn’t want to wait. They just ran back and forth. They opened the gates three times — it was good for two or three minutes and then everybody just ran.”
Another fan, Rosey Riales, told AFP the crowd was growing impatient as they waited for the gates to open.
“People are just excited and agitated, so they’re pushing and it’s chaos,” she told AFP. “They should have opened the gates earlier to let people in slowly.”
Increased security is said to be in place at Sunday’s match following a brawl that marred Colombia’s semi-final win over Uruguay, in which several players ran into the stands to fight with Colombian fans, who were accused of harassing the players’ families during their team’s 1-0 victory.
The increased security led to long lines and crowds of people crowding the southwest gate of the stadium, with people struggling to get through the crowd as only a few people were allowed in at a time.
At the press entrance, people pushed each other forward and a woman asked for medical help. A police officer was seen drawing his baton but did not use it.