Fans attempting to enter the stadium without tickets forced the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia to be delayed by more than an hour.
The match at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team and one of the sites for the 2026 World Cup, was pushed back several times as organisers worked to deal with the issues.
A statement issued on X by stadium staff said: “Thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, putting other fans, security and law enforcement officers at extreme risk.”
The statement said gates had been shut “to control the entry process at a much slower rate and ensure everyone is kept safe”.
Kick-off was initially pushed back by half an hour before a further 15-minute delay.
The stadium said it had been delayed “until further notice” with the players finally returning to the pitch to warm up 40 minutes after the scheduled start with the match eventually getting underway more than an hour and 15 minutes late.
Statement from a Hard Rock Stadium Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/fWFDq7ggS8
— Hard Rock Stadium (@HardRockStadium) July 14, 2024
Miami-Dade County police department said there had been “several incidents” due to the “unruly behaviour of fans trying to access the stadium”.
A sellout crowd of more than 65,000 was expected with CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body, posting on X the day before the game that fans must have tickets to enter the parking lot.
The delay to the kick-off follows criticism of an extended half-time interval from 15 minutes to 25 minutes for a concert by Colombian singer Shakira.
Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said: “It should be like any game. It should be the 15 minutes according to the regulations.”
