Chaos at the Copa America Final: Tragedy Avoided by a Miracle

Not without casualties.

The evening and night of Sunday were prosperous in football events. First, the Spanish national team defeated the English in Berlin and became the European champions. Then, in the final of another continental championship — the Copa America — the Argentinians defeated Colombia.

But this match, which took place in Miami, was scandalous. The issue was not just football, although football was partly to blame.

Many people gathered to watch Lionel Messi’s last match in the Copa America. Far more than the Hard Rock Stadium could accommodate. Most of these fans were without tickets or with counterfeit tickets.

The organizers initially closed all the turnstiles to prevent gate crashers from entering. But this was a mistake: this decision caused a crush and delayed the start of the match by about an hour and a half.

Due to the heat in Florida, people in the crowd began to feel unwell. Some needed to be literally rescued.


To fix the situation and avoid casualties, the turnstiles were temporarily opened. People surged into the stands en masse — both with tickets and without. The crowd was no longer controlled. As a result, the number of spectators in the stands exceeded the limit by about 7,000.

Inside the stadium, the problems did not end but worsened. Fans periodically started fights and disturbances. The police couldn’t always manage.

The match eventually took place and ended in triumph for the Argentine national team. However, the organizers need to do a thorough job of correcting their mistakes. In 2026, the World Cup will be held in the USA. This Copa was far from a full-scale rehearsal. The Club World Cup will be held in America next year. However, many shortcomings, especially regarding safety, will need to be corrected.

Published by Patrick Jane
15.07.2024