Legal troubles are brewing in Miami for organizers of the Copa América final.
The operators of Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing body that organized the tournament, are facing multiple lawsuits filed in the days following the chaotic Argentina and Colombia match on Sunday.
Fans have alleged that organizers failed to control matchday crowds, leading to spectators being denied entry into the stadium, even after spending thousands of dollars on tickets. In one case, a fan alleged she suffered bodily harm from the uncontrolled crowds.
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There have been at least four lawsuits filed by multiple fans in Circuit Court in the 11th District of Miami-Dade County, including a class action lawsuit filed “on behalf of all persons who purchased tickets for the Copa América final and were denied entry.” It’s likely more will follow.
CONMEBOL and Hard Rock Stadium officials declined to comment on the pending litigation when reached Friday.
The first lawsuit was filed on Monday afternoon by Jacqueline Martinez, barely 15 hours after Argentina earned their second consecutive Copa América title. Martinez’s suit was levied against South Florida Stadium LLC, or Hard Rock Stadium, and CONMEBOL.
Martinez purchased four tickets to the Copa América final, totaling $4,395.59, according to the suit. However, she was denied entry “due to a large number of individuals rushing the arena and entering unlawfully, which resulted in overcrowding and safety concerns.”
The overcrowding was due to organizers’ “failure to implement adequate crowd control measures, security protocols, and ticket verification processes,” the suit alleged.
Marta Pintos, Eduardo Martinez and Nicolas Osorio filed a second, nearly identical suit on Wednesday. Each of these lawsuits sought more than $50,000 in damages.
A third lawsuit was filed Thursday by Isabel Quintero against Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL. In her claim, Quintero said she “suffered severe injuries” at the final. “The massive crowd and unruly guests were foreseeable and preventable,” Quintero alleges.
Quintero alleged she was “denied entry, pushed, trampled, and slammed into objects as a result of the Defendants complete disregard for safety of its invitees.”
Also on Thursday, a class action was levied against Hard Rock Stadium operators. This complaint, filed by Jason Manco of New York, did not identify CONMEBOL as a defendant. Manco said he purchased two tickets for $5,486.94 for the Copa América final on July 17, but, like countless others, was denied entry.
The suit estimates that fans “paid millions of dollars to attend the event,” only to be denied entry on Sunday like Manco. The lawsuit estimates that the class action could represent as many as 7,000 individuals.
Manco’s suit goes on to allege stadium officials should have known that added security and crowd control measures “were necessary given the altercations that had occurred at prior Copa América events, including the match between Colombia and Uruguay.”
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Manco also alleged stadium officials “ignored warnings from CONMEBOL, the event’s organizer, that additional security and crowd control measures were needed.”
As legal troubles continue to mount, organizers have said very little in the days following the Copa América final, raising questions about who had ultimate control of security plans.
On Monday, CONMEBOL levied a degree of blame on Hard Rock Stadium officials in its only public statement since the tournament concluded.
“In this situation, CONMEBOL was subject to the decisions made by the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, according to the contractual responsibilities established for security operations,” CONMEBOL’s statement reads. “In addition to the preparations determined in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities the procedures proven in events of this magnitude, which were NOT taken into account.”
Hard Rock officials responded on Tuesday with their statement. They said the venue has hosted “hundreds of world-class events in its 37-year history”, including NFL Super Bowls and other international soccer matches. Those, too, stadium officials said, were a collaborative effort between the organizer, local law enforcement and the venue.
“Hard Rock Stadium worked collaboratively with CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and local law enforcement agencies on security both leading up to and during the Copa América tournament,” venue officials said. “The agencies met regularly, including daily security briefings throughout the month-long tournament. Hard Rock Stadium implemented, and in many cases exceeded, CONMEBOL’s security recommendations throughout the tournament and the final.”
Hard Rock officials said they would evaluate the protocols in place across all aspects of stadium operations, as they do after every major event.
Officials have also said they’d work on reimbursing ticketed fans who couldn’t get into the final. The stadium was shut when officials deemed the venue “at capacity.”
Officials on Sunday estimated that “thousands” of fans were trying to forcefully enter the stadium without tickets, meaning there may be thousands of ticketed guests who were unable to enter the stadium.
When asked about refunds, CONMEBOL and Hard Rock officials told The Athletic on Friday that fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster and were denied entry should contact Ticketmaster to request their refund. If someone purchased tickets on a secondary market, then their refund requests should be directed to the specific vendor where they purchased their tickets.
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(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
