Miami Food/Gardens. A few hours after the European Championship, the Copa América ended in the USA. Away from the winner Argentina, there was a lot of chaos and anger.
Two years before the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA, the… Copa America The dress rehearsal will take place in the USA. Argentina won the final against Colombia at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens 1-0 against Colombia thanks to a goal by Lautaro Martínez (112′). So much for the sporting side. The organization sometimes plunged into chaos.
Copa America 2024 in the USA: Chaos at the entrance, Argentine fans furious
It all started before the final, which was due to start 45 minutes later. Fans without tickets tried to enter the stadium. Security had to push them back. This angered some Argentine fans, which the sports newspaper “Diario Olé” documented on “X” (formerly Twitter): “It’s a disaster. I’ve never been to a stadium like this in my life. It’s horrible,” said an Argentine woman, and continued: “They’re not ready to organize anything.”
Another fan also spoke out at the scene: “They opened a one-meter door and everyone had to go through,” said the visibly exhausted man. And another Argentine fan continued: “They can’t organize a World Cup.”
Copa América 2024: Video shows people climbing into air duct
But it wasn’t just chaos at the entrance. People also tried to get into the stadium in other ways. As a video on “X” (formerly Twitter) shows, several fans entered the stadium through the ventilation system. The clip shows more than a dozen Colombian fans standing on top of water tanks, huddled around a small hole in a ventilation shaft. One by one, they disappear into the opening. It is not known whether they actually made it into the stadium.
And it wasn’t just the fans who were angry. Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa was also not happy with the way the teams were organised. The Argentine was furious at a press conference about the conditions at the venue. “They said the training camps were perfect. Bolivia didn’t train. I have photos to prove that all of this is a lie. All of this is a lie.” It’s not good publicity for the US, which is set to host the World Cup in two years’ time.
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