CONMEBOL, Hard Rock Stadium Continue Trading Blame Over Copa Disaster

In the aftermath of the Copa América final chaos at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, nobody wants to take responsibility for the security breach that resulted in unticketed fans storming the gates, delaying the game and leading to dozens of arrests, including the president of the Colombian soccer federation.

Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL have traded statements back and forth Monday and Tuesday that have increasingly blamed the other for the madness.

In the early hours of Monday morning, Hard Rock Stadium released a statement saying that all parties worked together to address the situation.

“When it became apparent that it would not be safe to start the match at 8 p.m., a joint decision was made to postpone. Shortly after 8 p.m., stadium officials, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and law enforcement officers communicated and decided to open stadium gates for a short period of time to all fans to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter,” read the statement.

Later Monday, CONMEBOL, which puts on the quadrennial tournament, released a statement that pointed a finger at Hard Rock Stadium. (Concacaf, the North American federation, was supposed to be a co-organizer of the tournament because of its location in the United States, but appears to have taken a backseat to CONMEBOL generally.)

“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. 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,” the statement read.

Hard Rock Stadium, a host site for the 2026 World Cup, fired back Tuesday citing the variety of large events it has safely hosted over the years. The new statement again emphasized that the stadium “worked collaboratively” with CONMEBOL, Concacaf, and law enforcement while also contesting the organizer’s blame game.

“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 replied.

Concacaf, meanwhile, has stayed out of it and has yet to release any statements about the security breach. Its social media accounts have remained active since the final, however.