What happened?
The start of the Copa America final has been delayed, with chaotic and dangerous scenes preventing thousands of fans from travelling to Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium to watch the match.
What caused the problems?
Miami-Dade police blamed “unruly behavior” by fans. CONMEBOL, which organizes the Copa America, issued a statement saying “only those who have purchased tickets will be allowed to enter the stadium.”
But thousands of law-abiding, ticket-holding fans were caught up in trouble, resulting in a dangerous crowd of people stuck outside the stadium in the scorching heat.
What did our reporters see at the stadium?
Paul Tenorio: “We saw several people fainting when they were let in, some carried by police to the first aid station, others leaning on each other for water. Some simply found a place to sit on the ground and cry or splash water on themselves.”
Jack Lang: “I saw people huddled together in the scorching heat for over an hour. Many were trying to cool themselves by using hats as fans. At one point, a woman fainted and the crowd tried to force a way through to let her in.”
Laura Williamson: “I saw many people breaking through the barriers at the south-east gate to try to get out of the huge crowd of supporters.”
What’s the latest news?
The game was postponed to 8:45 PM ET. All gates are now open. There are still many groups of people struggling to get into the stadium.
