According to ESPN, as
America's Cup
Chaos ensued in the final, with damaged fans taking a stand against
South American Football Association (SFA)
up to
Boulder Stadium
Management initiated multiple lawsuits. Fans claimed that they purchased
Copa America Final
tickets, but were unable to enter the stadium due to crowd control issues.
On Monday, a fan named Jacqueline Martinez filed the first lawsuit against CONCACAF and South Florida Stadium, LLC (Boulder Stadium Management) in Miami-Dade County Court. Two days later, Marta Pintos and three other fans filed a second lawsuit against the aforementioned defendants. Each lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $100,000 dollars.
Last Sunday's Copa America final was delayed by 82 minutes before the match officially started due to ticketless fans breaking into the stadium. Stadium officials said the gates were closed to regain order. But as the chaos intensified, fans were at risk of being crushed by the gates, so the stadium took steps to allow entry with or without tickets. When the stadium became overcrowded, the gates were closed again, preventing some ticketed fans from entering the stadium.
Miami-Dade County police say 27 people were arrested and 55 ejected from the game that day. The fire department said they responded to 120 incidents at the stadium that day, 116 of which were medical-related.
Jacqueline Martinez, who claims she spent $4,395 on tickets, wrote in the suit, "Despite purchasing the tickets, we were unable to enter the game due to the large number of ticketless fans who barged into the arena, causing overcrowding and creating a safety hazard."
She further stated, "The unlawful admission of ticketless fans was a foreseeable consequence of Defendant's failure to effectively implement crowd control measures, security protection measures, and ticket inspection procedures. As a result of the lack of access to the stadium, plaintiffs suffered property damage and emotional distress."
Neither CONCACAF nor Monolith Stadium have responded to ESPN's inquiries at this time. In a statement after the final, the CONCACAF blamed the Monolith Stadium, saying that the recommendations of the CONCACAF for South America's most important tournament had failed to be heeded. For its part, the Boulder Stadium responded on Thursday that the conditions they encountered that day were beyond the scope of CONCACAF's recommendations.
