In Miami, legal troubles are brewing over who will host the Copa America final.
The operators of Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL, the South American soccer governing body that organized the tournament, are facing multiple lawsuits. A few days after Sunday’s Argentina vs Colombia match descended into chaos.
Fans claim that organizers failed to control crowds on match days, and that spectators were denied entry to stadiums despite paying thousands of dollars for tickets. In one case, fans claimed they suffered physical harm from the out-of-control crowds.
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At least four lawsuits have been filed by fans in Miami-Dade County’s 11th District Circuit Court.This includes a class action lawsuit filed “on behalf of all those who purchased tickets to the Copa America final and were denied entry,” with more lawsuits likely to follow.
CONMEBOL and Hard Rock Stadium officials declined to comment on the pending litigation when contacted on Friday.
The first lawsuit was filed by Jacqueline Martinez on Monday afternoon, just 15 hours later. Argentina won the Copa America for the second consecutive year. Martinez’s lawsuit was filed against South Florida Stadium LLC (also known as Hard Rock Stadium) and CONMEBOL.
According to the lawsuit, Martinez purchased four tickets to the Copa America final for a total of $4,395.59, but was denied entry because “a large number of people flooded the arena and entered illegally, creating congestion and safety concerns.”
The lawsuit alleges the overcrowding was caused by organizers’ “failure to implement adequate crowd control measures, security protocols and ticket verification procedures.”
Marta Pintos, Eduardo Martinez and Nicholas Osorio filed a second, nearly identical lawsuit on Wednesday. The lawsuits each seek more than $50,000 in damages.
The third lawsuit was filed on Thursday by Isabel Quintero against Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL. In her lawsuit, Quintero says she “suffered serious injuries” during the final. “The large crowds and rowdy crowds were foreseeable and preventable,” she claims.
“Defendants demonstrated a complete disregard for the safety of their guests, who were denied entry, pushed, stomped and slammed against objects,” Quintero alleged.
Also Thursday, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the operator of Hard Rock Stadium. The complaint, filed by Jason Manco of New York, does not name CONMEBOL as a defendant. Manco said he bought two tickets for $5,486.94 for the July 17 Copa America final but, like countless others, was denied entry.
The lawsuit alleges that fans “paid millions of dollars to attend the event” but were denied entry on Sunday, like Manco. It’s estimated that the class action lawsuit could represent up to 7,000 individuals.
Manco’s lawsuit also claims stadium officials should have realized “that additional security and crowd control measures were necessary given the disturbances that have occurred during previous Copa America tournaments, including the Colombia-Uruguay match.”
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Manco also claimed stadium officials “ignored warnings from tournament organisers CONMEBOL that additional security and crowd control measures were needed”.
As legal troubles mount, organizers have said little in the days since the Copa America final, raising questions about who has ultimate control over security planning.
On Monday, CONMEBOL, in its only official statement since the tournament’s end, placed some of the blame on officials at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“In this situation, CONMEBOL has deferred to the decision of the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, in accordance with its contractual responsibilities regarding security activities,” a CONMEBOL statement read. “In addition to the preparations set out in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities procedures that have been proven in events of this magnitude, but which were not taken into account.”
Hard Rock officials responded in a statement on Tuesday. The stadium has hosted “hundreds of world-class events” in its 37-year history, including the NFL Super Bowl and other international football matches, stadium officials said. These, too, are collaborative efforts between organizers, local police and the stadium, stadium officials said.
“Hard Rock Stadium worked closely with CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and local law enforcement on security both prior to and during the Copa America tournament,” a venue official said. “The agencies met regularly and also held daily security briefings throughout the month-long tournament. Hard Rock Stadium implemented, and in many cases exceeded, CONMEBOL’s security recommendations throughout the tournament and the final.”
Hard Rock officials said they will evaluate protocols in place for all aspects of stadium operations, as they do after every major event.
Officials also said they would work to refund ticket buyers who were unable to attend the final, which was closed after officials deemed the venue “full.”
Officials estimated on Sunday that “thousands” of fans tried to force their way into the stadium without tickets, meaning there could be thousands of ticketed spectators who were unable to get into the stadium.
Asked about refunds, CONMEBOL and Hard Rock officials said: Athletic on friday Fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster and are denied entry should contact Ticketmaster to request a refund. If tickets were purchased on the secondary market, refund requests must be made directly to the specific retailer from which the tickets were purchased.
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(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
