Copa America final: Chaotic scenes as ‘party nearly turned to tragedy’ – BBC Sport

The 2024 Copa America was supposed to showcase the Americas’ passion for football.

But, as the Argentine newspaper Ole put it, “this party almost turned into tragedy.”

Hosted by the United States, in some of the biggest and best stadiums in world sport, the tournament has been plagued by problems.

The match was played on poor pitches, in half-empty stadiums and with crowd unrest before ending in chaotic scenes on Sunday.

Several arrests were made after clashes with police and security forces, while several supporters had to be treated by paramedics.

It is not the spectacle that organizers had hoped for and it raises concerns ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which is to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

So what happened and what can we learn from an event that Argentine media outlet Todo Noticias called a “world-class failure”?

Problems arose during the opening match between Argentina and Canada, with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and players from both teams complaining about the state of the pitch in Atlanta.

Eleven of the NFL’s 14 stadiums hosted the Olympics, and six of them had artificial turf fields. In some cases, the turf had been laid just days before.

The tournament is being organised by Conmebol, South American football’s governing body, which said it carried out tests before and after the matches which showed the pitches were in good condition.

But Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa told a news conference they were “an invasion of liars”, that the training grounds provided “were a disaster” and that Scaloni and his players had been “threatened” not to speak out.

Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr has criticised both the quality of the pitches and the refereeing, while the Chilean Football Federation (FFC) has called for referee Wilmar Roldan to be sanctioned for “disastrous conduct” in their final group game.

Uruguayan players then clashed with Colombian fans after their semi-final defeat, having taken to the stands to protect their families.

The Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF) said security measures were not sufficient at the match in Charlotte, where Colombian and Uruguayan fans were not separated.

Most of the knockout stage matches were played in sold-out crowds, but attendances were well below capacity, at 50% of the tournament’s 32 matches.

This is partly due to ticket prices. The average price was estimated at around $200 (£155), although tickets for some matches were much more expensive on US resale sites and due to dynamic ticket pricing.

Before Sunday’s final, Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo had already complained that Colombian pop star Shakira had performed at half-time, meaning the interval would last 25 minutes instead of 15.

Conmebol also released a statement saying that only ticket holders would be allowed to enter the stadium campus before the 8:00pm (local time) kick-off.

But as the scheduled kick-off time approached, a stadium spokesman said thousands of ticketless fans had “attempted to force their way into the stadium”, which has a capacity of 65,000.

Footage shows fans breaking through stadium gates, scaling perimeter walls and fences, and even crossing ventilation ducts.

A stadium statement later explained that while the gates were “strategically closed and reopened,” some fans “continued to engage in illegal behavior – fighting police officers, breaking through walls and barricades and vandalizing the stadium, causing significant damage to property.”

There were large crowds outside the stadium, with fans waiting in 31C heat, and a joint decision was taken – for a short period – to allow fans in without scanning tickets “to avoid stampedes and serious injuries at the perimeter”.

“The doors were then closed once the risk of crushing the fans had passed,” the statement added. “At that point, the venue was full and the doors were not reopened.”

The players’ families were also involved in the chaos, with Argentina coach Scaloni saying afterwards: “We had to start a game without knowing where our family members were. It was very strange.”

The match finally started more than an hour late. Due to extra time and the half-time spectacle, it only ended at 00:09 local time.

Eight of the Copa America venues will also be used for the 2026 World Cup. Among them is Hard Rock Stadium, which will host seven matches, including a quarter-final and the third-place match.

A statement from the stadium said the venue would work with law enforcement to identify those responsible for Sunday’s disturbances and review existing processes “to ensure such an event does not happen again.”

She added that the number of law enforcement officers and security personnel on site was more than double that of typical sold-out events.

“We understand that there are disappointed ticket holders who were unable to enter the stadium after the perimeter closure, and we will work in partnership with Conmebol to address these individual concerns,” the statement said.

“Ultimately, nothing is more important than the health and safety of all our customers and staff, and that will always remain our priority.”

While Conmebol is responsible for the Copa America, the World Cup is organised by FIFA, the world governing body. The North America-based Independent Supporters Council (ISC) is therefore “confident” that the 2026 tournament will welcome fans “safely and adequately”.

A statement added: “While Copa America has highlighted serious issues that could arise and make people anxious about travelling to North America, we are confident that host cities and planning committees have taken note of these issues and are already anticipating and planning accordingly.

Conmebol and FIFA have been contacted for comment.