The Copa America final was delayed by more than an hour due to scary scenes outside the stadium in Miami, and Alexis Mac Allister‘s family was one of many caught in the “inhumane” scenes.
Argentina lifted the trophy at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami after an extra time win over Colombia, but kickoff was delayed after a security breach left thousands of fans locked outside in a tight space.
A statement issued on X by stadium staff said: “Thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, putting other fans, security and law enforcement officers at extreme risk.”
The statement said gates had been shut “to control the entry process at a much slower rate and ensure everyone is kept safe.”
With gates closed, thousands were held in a small and overcrowded area in dangerous heat levels exceeding 34 degrees celsius, this included young children and the elderly.
Statement from a Hard Rock Stadium Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/fWFDq7ggS8
— Hard Rock Stadium (@HardRockStadium) July 14, 2024
The Athletic’s Jack Lang documented the scenes live on X, and after more than an hour of the crowd being locked outside noted how they had “begun to do that awful swaying thing.”
There were several fainting incidents and when the gates finally opened Lang said “the relief was palpable” and that “if no one was seriously hurt, it’s something like a miracle.”
The sun has gone behind a cloud but it’s still 31 degrees Celsius. These people have been here for over an hour. A lot of them are trying to keep cool by using hats as fans, but they’re really packed in pic.twitter.com/DHMCJaZpG3
— Jack Lang (@jacklang) July 14, 2024
As it was in Paris for the 2022 Champions League final, the “fans deserve huge credit for not erupting at some point,” by keeping calm they helped save lives.
The players’ families were caught up in the scary scenes, including Mac Allister’s parents. His mother, Silvina, told TyC Sports that “Alexis had to leave the locker room to help us get in because he was worried.
“I thought [the game] couldn’t continue. I thought the game wouldn’t be played because if the players thought they would resolve this, impossible that it would be played.
“TUVO QUE SALIR ALEXIS PAR HACERNOS ENTRAR”
Silvina, la madre de Mac Allister, contó que el mediocampista dejó el vestuario para asistir a su familia y hacerlos ingresar al Hard Rock Stadium. “Fue inhumano”, le dijo a @matipelliccioni. pic.twitter.com/euY01RBjpZ
— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) July 15, 2024
“It was inhumane. We are okay. We were in communication with Alexis the whole time, but he said he would stay outside until we would come in. He waited for us until we came in.
“We hugged him once inside, left him to be calm and told him to win.”
Eventually, as per ESPN, gates were opened for a short period “to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter” as “there was serious concern of fans being crushed in an attempt to enter.”
The Miami-Dade Police’s statement following the lockdown of the stadium said there had been “several incidents” that were “a result of the unruly behaviour of fans trying to access the stadium.”
Future concerns
The match kicked off one hour and 22 minutes late and is the latest of a series of security and organisational issues to arise from the tournament.
It has been plagued by crowd control issues, like that of the Darwin Nunez incident against Colombia, organisational chaos and complaints about the state of facilities.
The US are co-hosts of the World Cup in 2026, and it is scary to think of what could happen if they do not put new practices in place to keep fans and players safe.
