The organizers of the Copa America final in Miami are facing legal problems.
The operators of the Hard Rock Stadium, which hosted the tournament, and CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body for soccer, faced several charges. In the days following Sunday’s messy Argentina-Colombia match.
Fans were unable to control the crowd on the day of the game and spent thousands of dollars on tickets, and spectators were prevented from entering the stadium. In one incident, a fan said she was physically injured by the out-of-control crowd.
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At least four lawsuits have been filed in Miami-Dade County’s 11th District Court by several supporters.Including a class action lawsuit filed “on behalf of all persons who purchased tickets to the Copa America final and were denied entry.” More may follow.
CONMEBOL and Hard Rock Stadium officials declined to comment on the pending dispute when reached Friday.
Jacqueline Martinez’s first charge came on Monday afternoon, 15 hours after Argentina won their second consecutive Copa America title. Martinez’s lawsuit was dropped against South Florida Stadium LLC, or Hard Rock Stadium, and CONMEBOL.
Martinez bought four tickets to the Copa America final for a total of $4,395.59, according to the lawsuit. However, she was denied entry due to “a large number of individuals rushing to the stage and trespassing, causing overcrowding and security concerns.”
The overcrowding was caused by the organizers’ “failure to implement adequate crowd control measures, security protocols and ticket validation procedures,” according to the suit.
Marta Pintos, Eduardo Martinez and Nicolas Osorio filed similar charges on Wednesday. These lawsuits seek damages of more than $50,000 each.
A third lawsuit against Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL was filed by Isabelle Quintero on Thursday. In her claim, Quintero said she was “severely injured” at the end. “The crowds and unruly guests were foreseeable and preventable,” Quintero said.
“The defendants showed complete disregard for the safety of their invitees and she was denied entry, pushed, kicked, and fell on things,” Quintero said.
Also on Thursday, a class action was filed against the operators of Hard Rock Stadium. The complaint, filed by New York’s Jason Manco, does not name CONMEBOL as a defendant. Manco said he bought two tickets to the Copa America final on July 17 for $5,486.94, but like countless others, he was denied entry.
The lawsuit alleges that fans “paid millions of dollars to attend the event” as Manco was denied entry on Sunday. The suit estimates the class action could represent as many as 7,000 individuals.
Manco’s lawsuit alleges that stadium officials should have known that additional security and crowd control measures “were necessary during previous Copa America clashes, including the match between Colombia and Uruguay.”
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Manco also said stadium officials “ignored warnings from event organizer CONMEBOL that additional security and crowd control measures were needed.”
Organizers have said very little in the days after the Copa America final as legal problems mount, raising questions about who has ultimate control over security plans.
On Monday, CONMEBOL blamed Hard Rock Stadium officials in its only public statement since the tournament ended.
“In this case, CONMEBOL was subject to the decisions made by the authorities of the Hard Rock Stadium in accordance with the contractual responsibility established for security operations,” reads the CONMEBOL statement. “In addition to the specific arrangements in this contract, CONMEBOL has suggested to these authorities the procedures that do not take into account the procedures confirmed in this amount.”
Hard Rock officials responded with a statement on Tuesday. The venue has “hosted hundreds of world-class events over its 37-year history,” including NFL Super Bowls and other international soccer matches, he said. Those stadium officials said it was a coordinated effort between the organizer, local law enforcement and the venue.
“Hard Rock Stadium has cooperated with CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and local law enforcement agencies on the Copa America tournament and security issues,” said venue officials. “The agencies met regularly, including daily security briefings, during the month-long competition. Hard Rock Stadium implemented, and in many cases exceeded, CONMEBOL’s safety recommendations during the tournament and final.
Hard Rock officials said they will review protocols at all stadium operations, as they do after every major event.
The officials also said that they will work to refund the ticketed fans who were unable to make it to the final. The stadium was closed when officials deemed the venue “at capacity”.
Officials said on Sunday “thousands” of fans were trying to force their way into the stadium without tickets, meaning there could be thousands of ticketed guests unable to enter the stadium.
When asked about refunds, CONMEBOL and Hard Rock officials said. The athletics on friday Fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster and are denied entry should contact Ticketmaster for a refund. If someone purchased tickets through the secondary market, their refund requests should be directed to the specific seller where they purchased their tickets.
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(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)