Argentina won the Copa America on Sunday night with a 1-0 victory over Colombia in the final match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., and one of the big stories from the night was how messy the fan experience was.
Fans were so desperate to attend the game that they breached the gates and security measures prior to the start of the match, causing a delay to the start time. Fans were also seen trying to climb through vents and over gates in order to get into the match.
In other examples of unruly fan behavior, some Colombia fans were captured making a mess with popcorn:
¿Por qué? ¿Por qué imbeciles? ¿Por qué hacen esto? pic.twitter.com/8g5bk7JxlH
— Beto Coral (@Betocoralg) July 15, 2024
An escalator was left completely busted up:
Así quedó el lobby del Hard Rock stadium. pic.twitter.com/Fvz11FYzmg
— Iván Kasanzew (@IvanKasanzew) July 15, 2024
So many fans who did not have tickets snuck into the game that some people who had paid for tickets were unable to get to their seats.
My tickets weren’t checked nor was seating enforced so I’m hanging out behind handicapped seats in the upper level. Absolute mess. #CopaAmerica pic.twitter.com/b3rYszlzSi
— Between Clean Sheets | Cheyenne (@btwncleansheets) July 15, 2024
In many cases, the fans involved seemed to be wearing the yellow jerseys of Colombia.
The stadium had to go under lockdown prior to the start due to the wild fan behavior.
“In anticipation of tonight’s Copa America Final, thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, putting other fans, security and law enforcement officers at extreme risk. Security has shut the gates in order to control the entry process at a much slower rate and ensure everyone is kept safe.
“As a result, tonight’s match start time has been delayed until further notice to accommodate for ticketed fans to be able to safely enter the stadium,” the stadium said in a statement.
The start of the match was delayed for over an hour due to the fan behavior. Things continued to be messy even after the game began.
