I dont think USA is prepared for madness that football brings.
Argentina wins Copa América in Miami final marred by chaotic crowd scenes and tearful Messi goodbye
Argentina claimed its third straight major title with an extra-time victory over Colombia in Miami on Sunday, as a tearful Lionel Messi likely said goodbye to international soccer in a Copa América final delayed by crowd trouble.
Forward Lautaro Martinez, on as a substitute, hit the winner deep into extra time to claim a 1-0 victory for the world champions that ended Colombia’s 28-match unbeaten run and brought Argentina a record 16th Copa América crown.
It came after a hard-fought game that saw Argentina captain
Messi, 37, substituted in the second half with an apparent ankle injury in what is likely to be his last game at a major international tournament.
The soccer legend was visibly emotional as he watched the game unfold from the bench as television pictures appeared to show his right ankle heavily swollen. But the tears turned to cheers after the final whistle when a hobbling Messi embraced his teammates and coaches with a huge smile on his face as Argentine fans serenaded the champions.
The scenes of celebration were the culmination of a chaotic night in Florida, where kick-off at the sold-out 65,300-capacity Hard Rock Stadium was delayed for more than an hour after “thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium,” according to a stadium spokesperson.
Photos and video from outside the stadium showed massive overcrowding, with visibly distressed women and children among thousands of fans stuck outside the gates. At least one photo showed fans falling on top of each other at an overturned crush barrier.
Video from CNN affiliate WSVN also showed some fans climbing the stadium walls in an attempt to gain entry.
It is unclear if any fans or security personnel were injured.
The gates were later reopened “for a short period of time to all fans in order to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter,” the stadium spokesperson said in an update.
“There was serious concern of fans being crushed in an attempt to enter. Law enforcement and security personnel were immediately deployed throughout the stadium and surrounding area to keep fans as safe as possible in light of this unprecedented situation,” the update said.
The Miami-Dade Police Department
said several incidents took place as a “result of unruly behavior and fans trying to access the stadium.”
“Unruly behavior will get you ejected and/or arrested. We have a ZERO TOLERANCE behavior against unruly conduct from everyone attending,” the police said in a statement on X.
CNN has reached out to the police for more information.
In a joint statement, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and chief public safety officer James Reyes said they were “outraged by the unprecedented events at tonight’s Copa America finals.”
“Let’s be clear: This situation should never have taken place and cannot happen again,” their statement said.
“We will work with stadium leadership to ensure that a full review of tonight’s events takes place immediately to evaluate the full chain of events, in order to put in place needed protocols and policies for all future games.”
The scenes are also likely to cause alarm at soccer’s world governing body FIFA, which has approved the Hard Rock Stadium as a venue to host matches at the 2026 World Cup.
