Copa America final security: Will plans change after semifinal chaos? (2024)

Follow live coverage of Argentina vs Colombia in the 2024 Copa America final today

The winner of this summer’s Copa America will be decided on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of fans will descend on Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium for what is sure to be a historic clash between Argentina and Colombia, with millions more watching from home.

But instead of simply wondering whether Lionel Messi or James Rodriguez will be the ones to raise CONMEBOL’s biggest prize, another question now lingers: will those at the game — players, their families and impassioned fans — be safe from the type of violence we saw unfold at the semifinal between Colombia and Uruguay in Charlotte?

On Thursday night, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) opened an investigation into the altercation between Uruguay players and Colombia fans.

A statement read: “On the eve of the final of Copa America, we want to reaffirm and warn that no action will be tolerated that tarnishes this global football celebration, which involves both the players and the fans present in the stadium, and which will be watched by hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.”

When asked ahead of Uruguay’s third-place playoff against Canada — which will take place back at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Saturday night — whether he feared his players would face sanctions, Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa became visibly upset.

“The only thing I can tell you is that the players reacted like any other human being would,” he said. “If you see that there’s a process to keep what happened from happening. If you see that if what happened happens anyways, and that there’s supposedly another process — an escape hatch, let’s say — and both things fail, and you see your woman, or your mother, or a baby, being attacked, what would you do? You’d ask whether they’re going to punish the people who defended themselves?

“What you should be asking me, if you had a minimum amount of sympathy, is if the players have received an apology for those who are responsible for caring for every single spectator.

“You’re asking me if I’m scared of sanctions? How am I going to be afraid of a sanction that should be impossible to even happen.”

The Athletic looks at the situation during Wednesday night’s semifinal and how this will impact security at Sunday’s final.

What happened?

Instead of the usual heartbreaking scenes following a hard-fought semifinal, violence exploded off the pitch following the final whistle. Images of Uruguayan players entering the stands splashed across television screens and soon an impassioned Jose Maria Gimenez, Uruguay’s captain, appeared on a live broadcast condemning the “disaster” unfolding before him.

A group of Colombian fans, he said, descended onto their families who were seated in the stands near ticketed guests. A brawl eventually ensued, with fists and objects flying and players and other members of Uruguay’s staff began entering the stands to rush their families to safety. Players exchanged punches with fans as officers struggled to maintain order. Players’ loved ones, including children and a newborn, escaped to the pitch, where medical staff were seen evaluating them.

“It’s a total disaster,” said a visibly shaken Gimenez. “There wasn’t a single police officer. They showed up half an hour later. A disaster. And we were there, standing up for ourselves, for our loved ones.

“Hopefully, organizers take a little more precautions with our families because this happens every game. Our families are suffering because of some people who have a few drinks and don’t know how to drink, who act like children.”

Is there an investigation?

CONMEBOL immediately condemned the violence and on Thursday announced they had opened an investigation “to understand the sequence of events and the responsibilities of those involved in the acts of violence.” It’s likely disciplinary action will follow.

Following the semifinal, the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) said it will also analyze the footage of the incident before considering any further action. AUF president Ignacio Alonso defended his players, saying they acted instinctively to defend their families, as any father would. He also said there should have been clearer boundaries between players’ families and fans to prevent this from ever happening.

“There should’ve been some kind of barrier,” Alonso said, “especially because it was known practically from the beginning of the tournament that the Colombian fans were going to purchase 95 per cent of the tickets and that area (of the stadium) could get complicated.”

The AUF released a statement on Friday to say its representatives had behaved in an “exemplary manner” throughout the tournament.

Of the semi-final incidents, the AUF said its players, in the “context of moments of nervousness and desperation in which women and children were held hostage”, went into the stands “to intercede for their protection and defense”.

“It is clear that this event occurred in a context in which the proportion of Uruguayan fans was very small, mostly families, and there were not sufficient security mechanisms for such a situation,” the AUF said. “Given these events, and the aforementioned lack of security, the players’ attitude was inevitable and natural.”

The AUF added: “Unfortunately, the events described, which violated the health of family in a context of lack of protection, generated an unjustified but humanly understandable reaction.”

Will players be punished?

The violence that unfolded in Charlotte in many ways has been unprecedented considering this happened at a Copa America semifinal, the most important match for CONMEBOL short of Sunday’s final. Considering federations have been fined for far less, such as returning to the pitch late at halftime, it’s plausible to expect this level of misconduct by players, no matter the reason for it, will result in some form of a penalty or a suspension within the confines of competitions they oversee.

Argentinean outlet TyC Sports reported on Thursday that 11 Uruguay players are being targeted in CONMEBOL’s investigation. They are Matias Vina, Santiago Mele, Darwin Nunez, Jose Maria Gimenez, Mathias Olivera, Facundo Pellistri, Ronald Araujo, Brian Rodriguez, Emiliano Martinez, Rodrigo Bentancur and Sebastian Caceres.

Players have until July 17 to contest the claims against them, and in the interim can compete in their third-place match against Canada on Saturday. Any sanction or punishment handed down, the outlet reports, would be served during World Cup qualifiers.

It’s also possible Colombia will face financial sanctions for the conduct of its fans, as other federations have faced in the past for similar incidents.

When reached Friday, CONMEBOL said their investigation is ongoing. A representative from Uruguay on Friday repeated that the team is not commenting beyond what’s been said publicly. FIFA did not immediately respond to questions about their involvement, though it’s presumed any punishment is handed down at CONMEBOL’s discretion.

There is precedent for punishment after violence between fans and players. When Manchester United’s Eric Cantona kung-fu kicked a fan at Crystal Palace in 1995, it resulted in a nine-month ban and a hefty fine. Cantona, who had just received a red card for tackling a player, reacted after the fan shouted racial insults at him. This also led to criminal charges and a prison sentence for Cantona, which was later reduced to community service.

Americans are already comparing the scenes in Charlotte to the “Malice at the Palace” incident during an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons in 2004. Pacers player Ron Artest received an unprecedented 73-game suspension for rushing into the stands to hit a Pistons fan in the face after he was pelted with a cup of Diet co*ke. This incident, too, led to criminal charges and was recently recounted in 2021 by the “Untold” documentary film series on Netflix and is considered the most infamous brawl in NBA history.

There are question marks over whether players involved in the altercations in Charlotte on Wednesday — such as Darwin Nunez, the most visible player in the videos circulating from the stands — may face legal or criminal action.

So far, local police told The Athletic on Thursday they received no reported incidents from inside the stadium during the semifinal. Police records show at least two reports of assault outside the venue, with victims in the separate incidents listed as residing in North Carolina and Bogota, Colombia.

The violence in the stands was similar to scenes that unfolded last year before a World Cup qualifier game between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. After police clashed with Argentinian fans in the stands, players denounced the violence and soon Messi led the team off the field until the disorder was controlled. It took 27 minutes before the game finally kicked off.

The FIFA disciplinary panel eventually handed down fines and other penalties to both federations in January. Brazil was fined $59,000 for “failure to ensure that law and order are maintained” in the stadium. Argentina was fined $23,000 for “lack of order or discipline in or around the stadium.”

But that punishment was decided by FIFA, which is entirely separate from CONMEBOL.

As far as CONMEBOL competitions go, in 2018, the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and River Plate, fierce rivals in Argentinean club soccer, had to be moved more than 6,000 miles away from Buenos Aires to Bernabeu in Madrid following an attack on the Boca team bus by River Plate fans. The confederation at the time fined River Plate $400,000 and ordered them to play two games behind closed doors.

Will there be more security at the final?

The confederation told The Athletic on Thursday there will be security measures in place at the final like there have been throughout the entire tournament. On Saturday, CONMEBOL announced that fans must have a ticket to the final to enter any area around Hard Rock Stadium on match day. Watch parties are also not allowed outside the stadium or in the parking lot.

Organizers typically keep their security measures secret for… well, security reasons. But because this match is the final and because it features Messi and Argentina, an added layer of security was likely even before the events that unfolded in Charlotte.

Important information about the Grand Final of the CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024™️ ℹ️

To enter the Hard Rock Campus you MUST have tickets 🎟️

More information 👇 pic.twitter.com/6mAlmeWJLg

— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ ENG (@copaamerica_ENG) July 13, 2024

This has been typical of games featuring Messi throughout the tournament. Journalists before the Chile-Argentina match at MetLife Stadium waited hours before entering the stadium because they had to receive an extra security clearance before going through metal detectors. Several New Jersey State Troopers followed Messi anywhere he went after the game.

It’s notable that Hard Rock Stadium, which is owned and operated by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, also has a SAFETY Act Designation from the Department of Homeland Security. The venue’s security measures, according to this designation, include “a comprehensive program comprised of threat and vulnerability assessments, security planning, physical and electronic security equipment, tools, emergency planning processes and procedures, and properly trained personnel, and which covers the entire Hard Rock Stadium property, including the seating bowl and suites, gates, loading dock, inner and secondary perimeters, field, locker rooms, areas housing utility and mechanical systems, command center, and parking areas.”

And like many stadiums across the U.S., Hard Rock has policies that allow security to remove any overly intoxicated fans from the venue. Stadium management also has the right to determine cut-off times for alcohol sales.

Whether CONMEBOL chooses to create a barrier between fans and players’ families, as the AUF suggested, remains to be seen this weekend. We will also know then whether Argentina will be the most heavily supported team in Miami — like they have been all tournament long — or if Colombia fans will match their attendance. Both Colombia and Argentina have attracted some of the largest crowds to stadiums this Copa America, but considering Colombia’s historic run to the final for the first time in decades, it’s only likely to mobilize fans.

Impassioned rivalries are why in South American countries it’s typical to see home and away fans separated, especially at club level. That remains a mostly foreign concept in the United States, but supporter sections do exist in some venues at MLS or NWSL games. That becomes a more delicate line to balance when fans at international competitions, like a Copa America, are coming from all over the world and sometimes buying tickets from second-hand websites.

It’s notable, too, that the cheapest get-in price for the final as of Thursday night sits at $2,000 for a single resale ticket on Ticketmaster, so it’s likely the average fan will be priced out of even stepping into Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

(Top photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)