Legal trouble brewing in Miami for organizers of Copa America final.
The operators of Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL, the South American soccer governing body that organized the tournament, are facing multiple lawsuits. In the days following Sunday’s messy Argentina-Colombia match.
Fans have accused organizers of failing to control match-day crowds, with spectators being denied entry to the stadium after spending thousands of dollars on tickets. On one occasion, a fan claimed he was physically assaulted by the unruly crowd.
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At least four other lawsuits have been 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 individuals who purchased tickets to the Copa America final and were denied entry.” It will continue.
CONMEBOL and Hard Rock Stadium officials declined to comment on the pending lawsuit when reached Friday.
The first case was filed by Jacqueline Martinez on Monday afternoon, 15 hours after Argentina won their second consecutive Copa America title. Martinez’s lawsuit was brought against South Florida Stadium LLC, or Hard Rock Stadium, and CONMEBOL.
Martinez bought four tickets to the Copa America final for a total of $4,395.59, according to the lawsuit. However, he was denied entry due to “a large number of persons rushing into the venue, trespassing, causing overcrowding and security concerns”.
The lawsuit alleges overcrowding organizers’ “failure to implement adequate crowd control measures, security protocols and ticket verification processes.”
Marta Pintos, Eduardo Martinez and Nicolas Osorio filed a second, nearly identical lawsuit Wednesday. Each of these lawsuits sought damages in excess of $50,000.
A third lawsuit was filed Thursday by Isabel Quintero against Hard Rock Stadium and CONMEBOL. In his statement, Quintero said he “suffered serious injuries” in the final. “The large crowd and unruly guests were predictable and preventable,” Quintero alleges.
Quintero alleged that “as a result of defendants’ total disregard for the safety of its callers, he was denied entry, pushed, trampled and slammed into objects.”
On Thursday, a class action was filed against the operators of Hard Rock Stadium. The complaint, filed by Jason Manco of New York, does not identify CONMEBOL as a defendant. Manco said he bought two tickets to the Copa America final on July 17 for $5,486.94, but like countless others, was denied entry.
The lawsuit estimates that “fans paid millions of dollars to attend the show,” and were denied entry like Manco on Sunday. The lawsuit estimates the class action could represent 7,000 people.
Manco’s lawsuit alleges that stadium officials “should have known that additional security and crowd control measures were necessary, given the conflicts that have occurred at previous Copa America events, including the match between Colombia and Uruguay.”
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Manco also accused stadium officials of “ignoring warnings from the event’s organizer, CONMEBOL, that additional security and crowd control measures were needed.”
As legal complications continue to mount, organizers have said little in the days following the Copa America final, raising questions about who had ultimate control over security plans.
On Monday, CONMEBOL placed a measure of blame on Hard Rock Stadium officials, in its only public statement since the tournament ended.
“In this situation, CONMEBOL is subject to the decisions of the Hard Rock Stadium authorities in accordance with contractual obligations established for security measures,” CONMEBOL’s statement said. “In addition to the products stipulated in this agreement, CONMEBOL recommended to these officials procedures proven in cases of this magnitude, which were not taken into account.”
Hard Rock officials responded with a statement of their own on Tuesday. They said the venue has hosted “hundreds of world-class events over its 37-year history,” including NFL Super Bowls and other international football tournaments. Those, stadium officials said, are a joint effort between the organizer, local law enforcement and the venue.
“Hard Rock Stadium worked with CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and local law enforcement agencies regarding security before and after the Copa America,” stadium officials said. “Agencies met regularly including daily security briefings throughout the month-long tournament. At Hard Rock Stadium, CONMEBOL’s safety recommendations were implemented throughout matches and finals, and were breached on several occasions.
Hard Rock officials said they are evaluating ethics in all aspects of stadium operations, as they do after every major event.
Officials said they would refund tickets to fans who couldn’t make it to the final. The stadium was closed as officials deemed it to be “at capacity”.
Officials on Sunday estimated “thousands” of fans trying to force their way into the stadium without tickets.
When asked about the refund, CONMEBOL and Hard Rock officials said Athletic On Friday Fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster and were denied admission should contact Ticketmaster and request a refund. If someone bought tickets on the secondary market, their refund requests should be directed to the specific seller they bought the tickets from.
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(Photo: Carmen Mantado/Getty Images)
