The chaos at the Copa America final on Sunday did not stop at the gates.
Video and photos posted on X showšš an escalator at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens that was allegedly destroyed by fans, with shattered glass everywhere and the handrails collapsed at the bottom.
Geo Milian, a sports reporter in South Florida, , which he described as “barbaric and unacceptable!”
Argentina’s 1-0 win over Colombia was overshadowed by the fan madness that delayed the staš”rt of the game, with crowds so large trying to get through the gates with or without tickets that at oneź¦« point, gates were opened to everyone to avoid stampedes.
Some fans even tried entering šthe stadium by crawling through vents.
The stadium was overcrowded as a result, and one fan that their tickets weren’t checked and assigned seating wasn’t being enforced.
Video and photos fšrom before the game sšhow fans getting bloodied and some were detained by police.
Manuela Ćngel, the wife of Colombia’s Daniel MuƱoz, was left bloodied with a cut on the wrist.
āWe were standing in line as a family waiting to get in and then the reckless people behind me started to push me,āĀ . āThey thought I was causing chaos, so I was pushed towards the police officers, away from the line. They started yelling at my children. My oldest is 6 years old and my youngest isnāt even 2 yet. Iām here withĀ Danielās grandmother, his mother, his aunt and other family members. I suffered the most because I was in front of all of them. I had the tickets.”
In another example of unruliness inside the stadium, several fans in Colombia shirts opened aź¦ giant bag of concession popcorn and poured all of it out, creating a large mess.
Keep up with The Post’s coverage of Copa America’s wild final
- Fans crawl through stadium vents to get into Copa Americš§a final in wild scene
- Copa America madness spilled beyondā the gates inside stadium with escalator destroyed
- Wife of Colombiaās Daniel MuƱoz bloodied, crying with young children duringąµ² āterribleā Copa America mayhem
- Argentina wins second stź¦raight Copa America title in extra time with Lionel Messi injured
“We are outraged by the unprecedented events at [Sunday’s] Copa America finals,” Miami-Dade mayor Daniella Levina Cava and chief public safety officer James Reyes said in a joint statement.
“Let’s be clear: This situation should never have taken place and cannot happen again. We will work with stadium leadership to ensure that a full review of tonight’s events takes place immediately to evaluate the full chain of events, in order to put in place needed protocols and policies for all future games.”
Hard Rock Stadium is one of the host venuesš¤” for the 2026 World Cź¦«up.
