Officials for Miami-Dade County said a lack of intelligence gathering, insufficient security perimeters and large numbers of unticketed fans on stadium grounds led to the chaotic scene that unfolded ahead of last year’s Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami-Dade police received a report the day before the final that Texas law enforcement “experienced difficulties removing crowds from the stadium areas” after a separate Copa América match, and that large crowds were forming in the streets near the Colombia team hotel in Florida, the then-chief of the Miami-Dade County Strategic Response Division wrote in an after-action report dated Dec. 13, 2024, and obtained by ESPN.
The information prompted officials to activate more police for the game. At least 900 members of law enforcement ultimately staffed or responded to the event, according to the report.
Still, the report states, “the fact that 20,000 to 30,000 patrons had a plan to arrive early, park off site, then crash the entry gates with overwhelming numbers was not gathered and shared by any intelligence source. Had this information been known, our plan would have been modified for this contingency.”
The report recommends that law enforcement track social media platforms to discover such plans.
Thousands of fans rushed Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the July match, jumping over security railings and running past police officers, jeopardizing the safety of fans, players and referees. The scene led stadium and match officials to delay the game. Fifty-four people were ejected and 26 people were arrested, according to the report.
The night of the final, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said she was “outraged” by what happened and promised a review.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, is the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and will host seven FIFA World Cup matches in 2026.
ESPN contacted CONMEBOL — the federation that organized the tournament — Miami-Dade police and the mayor’s office for comment. A spokesperson for Hard Rock Stadium said its officials have not seen the report and therefore were not able to comment.
Hard Rock Stadium allowed unticketed cars and pedestrians onto the grounds ahead of the match, according to the report. While Hard Rock “allows fans open access onto the grounds for the great majority of events … with no prior negative effects,” the report recommends that the stadium consider extending its security perimeter and properly screen pedestrians and vehicles to prevent unticketed individuals from entering the parking lots during high-profile events.
“Many people without tickets crowded the entry gates and utilized their vast numbers to rush the gates and bypass all security measures,” the report states. “Efforts by police and stadium security were ineffective in sorting the ticketed patrons from those without tickets. Non-ticketed fans could not effectively be removed from the gates due to the large number of people pushing against the crowded gates.”
Stadium officials and police also had a difficult time communicating with the large crowds at the gate, the report states, recommending that police deploy portable speaker systems for future events.
The report states that “a lack of organization” by tournament organizers led to the “rampant use of photo tickets.”
Instead, event tickets should be issued electronically to minimize the risk of fraud and duplication, according to the report.
ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano contributed to this report.
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