On July 14, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Argentina’s national football team was crowned champion of the Copa America against the Colombian national team by 1-0. While Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María were celebrating another title to finish the last match of Di María’s career, the Colombian players were lamenting the defeat. Thousands of fans also mourned but for reasons other than the final score.
Chaos at the Copa America final
Minutes before the match began, it was clear that chaos was brewing. The poorly designed entrance and security points at the Hard Rock Stadium had created long waits for the thousands of fans that had lined up to enter the stadium in the 32 degree heat. Then, just before the match was set to begin, hundreds of fans circumvented the weak security controls and snuck into the stadium without a ticket. Security forces then blocked off the entrances, leaving hundreds who had bought their tickets, paying a minimum of USD 2,000, unable to enter the final tournament match.
Once inside the stadium area, chaos ensued in the hallways as those who snuck into the stadium sought to escape the security forces and secure their place in the stands. Dozens of families panicked as a sea of hundreds of fans rushed the hallways and entrances, pushing past young children and elderly people. Images were seen of people breaking into ventilation ducts and attempting to enter through them to reach a seat. The start of the football match was delayed for more than an hour.
#Envideo | Así fueron los incidentes a las afueras del Hard Rock Stadium de Miami previo a la final de la Copa América entre Argentina 🇦🇷 y Colombia 🇨🇴.
Finalmente abrieron los accesos al estadio y los hinchas pudieron ingresar. #CopaAmericaxTeleSURpic.twitter.com/JJsAo4zpC4
— Deportes teleSUR (@DeportesTeleSUR) July 15, 2024
In the face of desperation and lack of control, several security agents tried to detain some of the fans. Many videos emerged of security angels beating and tackling fans suspected of breaking in.
Mauricio Ymay, an ESPN journalist who was at the Hard Rock Stadium, said that before the game,
at approximately 18:30-18:45, the first forced entry of people took place… We saw children lost in the crowd, desperate mothers, bloody faces, people choking. What happened did not end up being a tragedy, thanks to a miracle.
According to Ymay, the reason behind the grave incident is that a day before the match, many people approached the stadium without a purchased ticket and stated that they were going to enter the stadium without a ticket: “I had the opportunity to interview many, many fans who told me ‘I am coming to the match without a ticket,’ and many, sadly, did manage to enter without a paid ticket. Why? Because there was no security perimeter, as is usually done in World Cups, where people are required to show a ticket several kilometers away to pass to the next filter.” In other words, according to Ymay, the organizers knew this could happen and did nothing about it.
The Copa America 2024 in the U.S. was seen by many experts as a rehearsal for the next FIFA World Cup (2026), in which the U.S., Mexico and Canada will be the host countries, with the majority of the matches to be held in U.S. cities. For now, the rehearsal raised a lot of doubts and concerns. It was said that the United States, due to its capacity to organize major events, its advanced technology and security, and its sophisticated sports infrastructure, would be the ideal country to host a Copa America. However, several infrastructure and organizational problems came to light throughout the tournament.
Fight in the Uruguay-Colombia semifinal
A few days before the final, the media showed other unfortunate images. Several Uruguayan players engaged in a pitched fight against Colombian fans in the stadium. According to José María Giménez, a player from the Uruguayan national team, the Uruguayan players had to climb into the stands because their families were attacked by Colombian fans:
Our families were in danger. We had to rush into the stands to get our loved ones out. This is a disaster. There were no police… I hope that the people who are organizing [the Copa América] are a little more careful with the [players’] families, with the people and around the stadiums. It’s a disaster, the same thing happens every game.
The CONMEBOL Disciplinary Commission is still investigating who the real culprits are in this unprecedented incident. However, one question arises: why weren’t there more security agents to control these and other events? Many journalists say that it is due to a serious problem in the organization of Copa America, in which there was no proper planning or sufficiently numerous and trained personnel to adequately respond. to issues that were forewarned during the course of the event.
Marcelo Bielsa’s critical statements
One of the protagonists of the Copa America was Uruguay’s coach and former Argentine national player, Marcelo Bielsa. Although his team managed to take third place in the tournament, Bielsa was noted for his sharp comments against the organization of the Copa.
A few days before the semi-final against Colombia, Bielsa pointed out that it is becoming increasingly clear how big capital has succeeded in depriving South American football of its great players by taking them to Europe at a very young age.
Football used to be owned by the people. The poor do not have much access to happiness because they cannot buy it. But football is free, it is of popular origin. However, football, one of the few things that the poorest people used to keep, no longer have it, because at 17 years of age [the most talented players in South America are taken abroad and no longer play in their country].
However, Bielsa’s criticism was not only directed against the football industry that benefits the richest countries. He also harshly criticized the organization of the Copa America and the interests of the host country. Bielsa harshly criticized how the organizers of the event were unable to protect the families of the football players.
“When the United States felt their interests were under attack, they created FIFA Gate with the FBI. They did what they did for their interests. And now we are told that the Copa America was a perfect event and that there were no problems. But you can’t keep deceiving people by saying that the fields are perfect…They have explicitly lied by saying that the training fields are perfect. I have a collection of photos of the terrible state of the training fields. But since revealing this reality affects the organizers, there are threats against those who speak out… [the United States], as the organizing country, is also responsible for everything that happened,” said the Argentine manager.