Additional Coverage:
A series of lawsuits have been initiated by soccer fans against the South American football authority, CONMEBOL, and the operators of Hard Rock Stadium following disruptions at the Copa América final on Sunday.
According to the plaintiffs, their purchased tickets were nullified by crowd control failures which barred them from stadium entry.
The initial lawsuit was launched on Monday by Jacqueline Martinez against South Florida Stadium LLC (which manages Hard Rock Stadium) and CONMEBOL at the Circuit Court for the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County. Another legal action followed on Wednesday, put forward by Marta Pintos, Eduardo Martinez, and Nicolas Osorio, targeting the same defendants.
Each complaint is demanding damages exceeding $100,000.
The final, a match between Argentina and Colombia held in Miami Gardens, Florida, experienced an 82-minute delay. This interruption occurred after ticketless fans forced their way through security barriers.
In response, stadium officials temporarily locked the gates to restore order. However, as conditions became perilous with some spectators nearly being crushed, the gates were reopened, allowing an uncontrolled mix of ticket holders and non-ticket holders to enter.
Eventually, when the stadium filled to capacity, the gates were shut once again, leaving many legitimate ticket holders outside.
The Miami-Dade Police reported 27 arrests and 55 ejections related to the incident, while Miami-Dade Fire Rescue attended to 120 onsite incidents, 116 of which were for medical reasons, as relayed to ESPN.
In her legal filing, Martinez stated she had bought four tickets for a total of $4,395.59. Her complaint detailed that despite holding valid tickets, she and others were denied entry due to the overwhelming influx of unauthorized attendees, leading to safety concerns and overcrowding.
The complaint criticized the defendants for not foreseeing the situation and failing to enforce sufficient crowd management, security, and ticket verification systems, all of which led to monetary, emotional, and other losses for those affected.
ESPN has reported that neither CONMEBOL nor representatives for Hard Rock Stadium have commented on the allegations. Following the event, CONMEBOL criticized the stadium’s management for not adhering to its security advisories for such a significant match. In contrast, stadium officials claimed they had surpassed the security measures recommended by CONMEBOL.