“Hundreds” of fans bought tickets Copa America Championship For the game near Miami, we were unable to enter the stadium as the entrances were closed. Hooligans storming the gateofficials said Monday.
The thrilling match, which Argentina beat Colombia in extra time, began nearly 90 minutes after it started late Sunday night because of unrest at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Planned venues for the 2026 World Cup.
“It was chaos,” Rebecca Phan, a fan who was shut out, told NBC News on Monday. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Fan said she was devastated that her children, ages 6 and 9, had spent months learning about the teams and following the games, then flown across the country to Florida only to be “treated like criminals.”
“We watched as people who’d illegally taken seats in the stadium enjoyed our seats, with barely any explanation, even though we had no access to water bottles or even to medical staff,” said Fan, the Stanford University lecturer. “Those of us with tickets were treated like criminals on the other side of the fence.”
As ticketless fans entered, several gates were “strategically closed and reopened” to allow ticketed guests to enter in a safe and controlled manner, according to a statement released by officials. Hard Rock Stadium Operator on monday.
The Hard Rock statement added that closing the entrances only caused more problems, as some rowdy fans “continued to engage in illegal behavior, including fighting with police, destroying walls and barricades, and vandalizing the stadium.”
And stadiums have reached capacity limits, forcing them to bar even fans with tickets from entering, officials said.
“We understand the disappointment felt by ticket holders who were unable to enter the stadium after the borders were closed and we South American Football Confederation A statement from Hard Rock Stadium said the move was made “to address individual concerns.”
“At the end of the day, nothing is more important than the health and safety of all our guests and staff, which will always remain our top priority.”
Fans with tickets wandered from gate to gate, desperately hoping someone would let them in.
“There were so many people in the same situation, hundreds of people circling the exits,” Huang said. “It’s just frustrating.”
The match was scheduled to start at 8:00 pm, but due to congestion at the entrance, the referee postponed the kickoff, first to 8:30 pm, then to 8:45 pm, and finally to 9:15 pm, with the match starting at approximately 9:22 pm.
