What happened?
The start of the Copa America final has been postponed as thousands of fans were prevented from entering Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium to watch the match amid widespread confusion and danger.
What is causing the issue?
Miami-Dade police condemned the fans for “disorderly behavior,” and Copa America organizers CONMEBOL said in a statement that “only ticketed individuals will be allowed into the stadium.”
But thousands of law-abiding ticket-holding fans ran into problems, creating dangerous crowds that were trapped outside the stadium in scorching heat.
What did reporters in the stadium see?
Paul Tenorio: “We saw a lot of people who were taken inside and passed out. Some were being carried by police to first aid stations, some leaning on each other looking for water. Some people just sat on the ground crying and pouring water on themselves.”
Jack Lang: “I saw people packed together in the scorching heat for over an hour, many using their hats as fans to keep cool. At one point a woman fainted and the crowd tried to make way for her to reach the gate.”
Laura Williamson: “I saw a lot of people climbing back over the fence at the southeast gate to get away from the huge throngs of fans.”
What’s the latest?
The game has been postponed until 8:45pm EST. All gates are open. There are still a lot of people struggling to get into the stadium.