CONMEBOL pushed back kickoff of the Copa America final to 8:45 p.m. local time Sunday — 45 minutes after the originally scheduled start — after fans breached security at one of the gates at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The highly anticipated final between Argentina and Colombia was delayed after police apparently struggled to contain fans attempting to enter the venue without tickets.
Police managed to close the gates and initiate a lockdown, leading to scores of people stuck outside and trying to enter before the match kicks off. ESPN reported that for at least one gate, fans with tickets were being allowed to enter one at a time.
“We announce that people who do not have tickets will not be able to enter the stadium,” CONMEBOL said in a statement. “Only those who have purchased tickets will be able to enter the stadium once the gates are reopened.”
Both teams were taken off the field with less than an hour before the match’s new kickoff time. FOX sideline reporter Jenny Taft was among those able to relay scenes from on the ground.
“I do have a cop who was standing right next to me,” Taft said on FOX. “Unfortunately he is telling me that the scenes outside have not gotten better. …
“They’re encouraging the fans that do not have tickets to leave the area. That’s slowing everything down. It is madness outside.”
–Field Level Media
