The 2024 Copa America held in the United States was plagued by one organizational failure after another, culminating with safety concerns at Hard Rock Stadium during Sunday’s final between Argentina and Colombia as officials failed to grapple with ticketless fans who breached security checkpoints before the (delayed) start of the match.
The chaos in Miami Gardens on Sunday came just days after Uruguay players began a brawl with Colombia fans in the stands after their semifinal at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, and after a long string of complaints directed towards tournament organizers. The long list of grievances include poor pitches, disorganization in spaces for accredited media and high ticket prices that meant several stadiums had empty seats despite hosting one of the biggest soccer events in the world.
The chaos forces questions about who is responsible for such disorganization and while the answer is not straightforward, some things are more clear-cut than others. CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing body, bears much of the responsibility as tournament organizers usually has the burden of ensuring everything runs smoothly — security included. However, CONMEBOL released a statement pointing the finger at Hard Rock Stadium:
“In this situation, CONMEBOL was subject to the decisions made by the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, according to the contractual responsibilities established for security operations. In addition to the preparations determined in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities the procedures proven in events of this magnitude, which were not taken into account.”
While there are some lessons to be learned in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., it is unlikely there will be a repeat of such an event in two years’ time.
Here’s an explainer on the Copa America chaos, and a glance at who might be to blame for the dysfunction.
