Chaotic scene erupts at Copa America final after fans storm gates without tickets
USA TODAY Sports’ Safid Deen describes fans jumping fences and being detained trying to sneak into the Copa America Final between Argentina and Colombia.
Hard Rock Stadium, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF are working together with Ticketmaster to offer refunds to fans who purchased tickets on the primary market and were denied entry to the Copa America final, a stadium spokesman told USA TODAY Sports on Friday.
Fans who purchased tickets and were denied entry to the final should reach out to Ticketmaster and request a refund, while fans who purchased tickets on the secondary market should direct their refund request to the entities where they bought tickets. The profits from ticket sales on the secondary market went to ticket sellers, not the organizers of the event.
Ticketmaster and CONMEBOL has not yet responded to inquiries Friday from USA TODAY about the refund process.
The Copa America final, which saw Lionel Messi and Argentina win 1-0 against Colombia after an initial game delay lasting an hour and 20 minutes, was played last Sunday at the stadium.
Stadium officials, in conjunction with CONMEBOL and Concacaf and local law enforcement, decided the best course of action against eager fans crowded outside the stadium gates would be to let everyone in.
But after the mass entrance, the stadium gates remained closed, disappointing some ticket-paying fans who missed the rush and the Copa America final as a result.
Still, it’s a step in the right direction after the ugly scenes in which fans were among a crowd crush outside the stadium gates in the South Florida heat before the Copa America final.
At least three lawsuits seeking more than $100,000 in damages and an aspiring class-action lawsuit were filed against stadium officials and event organizers this week.
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