July 22 – The first lawsuits have been filed by fans against Conmbel and the operators of Hard Rock Stadium in the wake of the chaos surrounding the Copa América final a week ago.
The complainants claim that they purchased tickets for the final but that crowd control issues prevented them from entering the stadium.
The first suit was filed by Jacqueline Martinez against South Florida Stadium LLC (Hard Rock Stadium) and Conmebol in the Circuit Court for the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County.
A second suit was filed by Marta Pintos, Eduardo Martinez and Nicolas Osorio against the same defendants.
Each suit is seeking over $100,000 in damages.
The final between Argentina and Colombia in Miami Gardens, was delayed 82 minutes after fans without tickets broke through security barriers in order to get into the venue.
Stadium personnel responded by locking down the venue in a bid to regain control. But when things became too dangerous, with some fans at risk of getting crushed against the gates, the venue was reopened, allowing some fans to enter whether they had tickets or not.
When the stadium reached capacity, the stadium gates were closed again, preventing some fans with genuine tickets from getting in.
In her complaint, Martinez alleges that she purchased four tickets to the Copa América final for $4,395.59.
“Despite having a valid ticket, Plaintiff was denied entry to the sporting event due to a large number of individuals rushing the arena and entering unlawfully, which resulted in overcrowding and safety concerns,” the complaint reads.
The complaint goes on to allege that the “unlawful entry of individuals into the arena was a foreseeable consequence of Defendant’s failure to implement adequate crowd control measures, security protocols and ticket verification processes.”
It adds: “As a result of being denied entry, Plaintiff was unable to attend the sporting event and suffered monetary loss, emotional distress and other damages.”
Conmebol issued a statement Friday saying fans who couldn’t use their tickets can receive refunds. After the game, South American football’s governing body pointed the blame at stadium officials, saying the venue did not take into account its safety recommendations.
The stadium responded by saying they hired double the security compared to Miami Dolphins games and had actually exceeded Conmebol’s recommendations at the stadium which will be hosting several games at the 2026 World Cup.
One attorney representing fans who had tickets but couldn’t get in was quoted as saying they had spent huge amounts on seats, air fares and hotel rooms yet were caught up in a stampede.
“People bring their kids – this is a once-in-a-lifetime deal to a lot of people,” Irwin Ast was quoted as saying. “This was a terrifying situation.”
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