Sunday's Copa America Final between Argentina and Colombia was delayed following a security breach when fans managed to break through one of the main entrances at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium more than one hour prior to kickoff.
As reported by Karl Rasmussen of Sports Illustrated, chaos ensued at the stadium, with waves of unticketed fans accessing the grounds through various means, including climbing over fences and shoving through gates.
BREAKING: The gates at Hard Rock Stadium have been breached and scores of fans have begun streaming in for the 2024 #CopaAmerica final. Police are scrambling to try and stem the flow of people. pic.twitter.com/fkoMMYGk8K
— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) July 14, 2024
"The stadium went into a brief lockdown, and players from Argentina and Colombia were escorted off the pitch during their warmups," Rasmussen wrote.
Hard Rock Stadium issued a statement urging fans without tickets to exit the venue, before delaying the start time of Sunday evening's final, which Argentina won, 1-0.
"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 match was delayed for more than an hour.
"A handful of people could be seen receiving medical treatment and asking for water in the sweltering South Florida heat," Alanis Thames wrote for The Associated Press. "Officers were able to push the crowd behind the gates and lock down the entrance so that no one could get inside, although plenty of fans with tickets had already made it to their seats before then.
