Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said the security breach at Hard Rock Stadium affected his players ahead of their defeat in the 2024 Copa America final against Argentina on Sunday night, describing the situation as “worrying.”
Hours before the game, fans without tickets stormed the southwest gate of the stadium, causing several to be beaten and arrested by police and security personnel. A security guard at the stadium confirmed to ESPN that the southwest gate was locked due to a breach, before the entire venue was closed.
“Imagine, from the dressing room we were trying to communicate with family and friends to see if they were in trouble or not, it was very stressful. So it was chaotic. We tried to keep the team calm, but there was anxiety,” Lorenzo said after the match.
“Imagine the schedule for the day to play a final, everything goes minute by minute, breakfast, lunch, team talk, getting off the bus, arriving and then you have to say: ‘No, we have to wait half an hour, no, 45 minutes, no, an hour.’”
“It has uprooted everything. I repeat, it has happened to both teams. It is a complaint, not a cry.”
After fans stormed the stadium gates, the pre-match warm-up came to an abrupt end, with players forced to leave the pitch and enter the changing rooms. In the end, the match started 75 minutes late.
“They warmed up, then got cold, warmed up again and then had a longer break,” Lorenzo added.
“Strange things, for both sides, but the less experienced team feels it more. No need to complain or anything, but I said it can affect the fitness, and in general the person who has less experience in this type of event feels more nervous.”
Organising bodies confirmed that all gates were open to avoid any serious injury or the risk of a stampede. Hard Rock Stadium issued a statement after the final blaming “riotous fans” for the disturbance.
“Preparations (for the final) included an increase in the number of law enforcement and security officers, with more than double the number of personnel compared to a typical event at a full capacity stadium,” she said.
“Throughout the afternoon and evening, there were numerous attempts by unruly fans without tickets to overpower security and law enforcement personnel at the entrance points to the stadium, putting themselves, other fans, security personnel and stadium staff at great risk.
“Several stadium gates were strategically closed and reopened in an effort to allow ticketed guests to enter safely and in a controlled manner. Fans continued to engage in unlawful behaviour – fighting police officers, tearing down walls and barriers and vandalising the stadium, causing significant damage to property.
“When it became clear that it would not be safe to start the match at 8 p.m., a joint decision was made to postpone it. Shortly after 8 p.m., stadium officials, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and law enforcement officials communicated and decided to open the stadium doors for a short period of time to all fans to prevent stampedes and serious injuries in the vicinity of the stadium.
“We will continue to work with law enforcement to identify and hold accountable the criminals who engaged in illegal behavior tonight. It is disappointing that a night of celebration was affected by illegal and unsafe behavior, and we will fully review the processes and protocols in place tonight and work with law enforcement to ensure that an event like this does not happen again.”
Argentina beat Colombia with a goal in extra time scored by Lautaro Martinez in the 112th minute, to see the match Albiceleste They became Copa America champions for the second year in a row.
