On July 19, according to ESPN, fans have filed multiple lawsuits against CONMEBOL and Hard Rock Stadium operators following the chaos that occurred before the Copa America final.
Per ESPN, fans filed lawsuits with local Miami courts on both Monday and Tuesday, each seeking over $100,000 in damages.
The Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia was delayed by 80 minutes due to ticketless fans invading the stadium. In response, stadium staff locked down the venue, attempting to regain control. However, when dangerous situations arose, posing risks of fans being crushed at the gates, the stadium was reopened to allow some fans entry, regardless of whether they had tickets.
Miami police reported that 27 people were arrested and 55 were ejected from the stadium that day. The Miami Fire Rescue told ESPN they responded to 120 incidents at the stadium, 116 of which were medical-related.
In their complaint, the fans stated: “The foreseeable consequence of unlawful entry into the stadium was due to inadequate crowd control measures, safety protocols, and ticket verification procedures implemented by stadium personnel.”
“Due to being denied entry, we were unable to watch the sporting event and suffered financial losses, emotional distress, and other damages.”