Putting aside the actual final between Argentina and Colombia, the Copa America Final was an unmitigated disaster due to the lack of planning and preparedness by CONMEBOL. Sunday’s 8 p.m. kickoff was meant to cap off a fantastic “summer of soccer” after the European Championship. Instead, ticketed and ticketless fans barged through the doors at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium before the game, thus delaying the kickoff time by 82 minutes.
That game took a back seat to the events that happened before the game, with pictures and videos showing distressing scenes of fans entering the stadium and nearly trampling over other people in attendance.
The onus for the issue falls on CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American soccer that organizes the Copa America. CONMEBOL is responsible for organizing the event, including its security measures and crowd control.
On Sunday, CONMEBOL once again pointed the finger at fans. Similarly, Miami-Dade Police blamed the fans for the delay. “These incidents have been a result of the unruly behavior of fans trying to access the stadium,” read a statement.
While the ticketless fans are certainly at fault for causing a chaotic situation, how were fans without tickets able to get to the stadium gates? Where were the checkpoint perimeters around the stadium to make sure only ticketed fans were allowed near the gates? CONMEBOL must bear responsibility for allowing the ticketless fans near the stadium.
No doubt, there was a complete lack of organization from CONMEBOL in and around the stadium. Furthermore, the event was understaffed for a major sports final where you had two of the most supported teams in South Florida facing each other. CONMEBOL knew this ahead of the final but said beforehand that they would not increase security for the game.
CONMEBOL’s security policies have been a point of contention recently. Only days prior, Uruguay players rushed into the crowd to protect the safety of their families after incidents with Colombia fans. CONMEBOL seemed to brush the issue aside because of, once again, “unruly fans.”
In truth, it’s fortunate that no one died as a result of the chaos at Hard Rock Stadium. It could have easily been a tragedy. For instance, event organizers and police kept the gates to the stadium locked for more than an hour until the fans settled down. Instead, that only caused more of a bottleneck as tens of thousands of fans crowded outside the gates. Then, when the gates were re-opened, the crush of fans trying to get in caused panic as they tried to push through the lines.
Ultimately, event organizers then decided to open the gates to everyone without checking tickets. That relieved the bottlenecks, but it meant that a reported 7,000 ticketless fans entered the stadium without paying a dime. Stadium authorities then closed the gates when the capacity was filled. Meanwhile, there were still thousands of fans locked outside the gates who had paid thousands of dollars for tickets, but they weren’t allowed in.
Yet, for some, it is not a surprising occurrence. In the days before the final, Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa called CONMEBOL “a plague of liars.” Bielsa was alluding to the state of pitches and general organization of the 2024 Copa America. The tournament has been rife with issues both on and off the pitch, particularly in comparison to a polished product like the European Championship. After Sunday, Bielsa’s comments ring true again.
CONMEBOL did not predict what could have happened on Sunday despite all signs pointing to further issues. On Saturday, players and coaches for Argentina players said they feared for the safety of their families ahead of the Copa America as they expected rowdy crowds. They poked and prodded at CONMEBOL in that regard, even citing previous incidents in Brazil during World Cup Qualifying. Like this year’s Copa America, those incidents in Brazil fall on CONMEBOL, which does not adequately protect fans and players.
CONMEBOL is to blame for the disastrous Copa America, but it’s also a bad look for the United States, who hosted the tournament.
“My family [has] traveled around the World to see games in countries I’ve either played or worked in,” FOX commentator Stu Holden said. “Last night was the first time I’ve been genuinely concerned for their safety… and it was in our country. I hope there will be accountability for those that were in charge.”
Alexis Mac Allister, a starting midfielder for Argentina, was equally concerned for the safety of his family. Rather than preparing for the game, he sought out his family to ensure they escaped the madness outside Hard Rock Stadium. He waited in the tunnel to help get them into the ground before kickoff. Mac Allister’s mother described the situation outside the stadium as “inhumane.”
Authorities, like those Holden alluded to, will point fingers at each other and at the fans at the game. What remains consistent is that CONMEBOL could have avoided this Copa America Final disaster.
At the end of the day, the game was secondary. Argentina’s historic Copa America win was completely overshadowed by what happened off the field before the game. For what should have been a world-class experience for everyone at the stadium, it ended up being a farce.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
