The Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, being held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, faced a 75 minute-delay due to ruckus caused by ticketless fans. Initially, it was delayed by 30 minutes, as announced by CONMEBOL on X. The match, which was supposed to kick off at 5:30 AM IST, actually started around the time it should have been concluded. The delay, caused by a security breach, led players from both teams to return to the locker rooms during their warm-ups on the pitch.
A large number of fans entered the stadium without tickets two hours before the match, prompting the organisers to make the decision to delay the final. The new kick-off time for the Copa America final was then set to be 6:45 AM IST.
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Images on social media showed fans, mostly dressed in Colombia's yellow and red colors, jumping over security railings near the stadium's Southwest entrance and running past police officers and stadium attendants.
Copa America Final Venue Takes To Social Media Explaining The Issue
The Hard Rock Stadium issued an official statement confirming the delay, initially until further notice, before deciding on a new start time. On X, the venue explained that the Copa America final was delayed because thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, endangering other fans, security, and law enforcement. Security shut the gates to control the entry process and ensure safety.
"In anticipation of tonight's Copa America Final, thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, putting other fans, security and law enforcement officers at extreme risk. Security has shut the gates in order to control the entry process at a much slower rate and ensure everyone is kept safe. As a result, tonight's match start time has been delayed until further notice to accommodate for ticketed fans to be able to safely enter the stadium," the statement by Hard Rock Stadium read.