Soccer Fans Injured, Locked Out Of Copa America Final File Lawsuits Over Chaos

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The first lawsuits have been filed in connection with last weekend’s melees that broke out when fans without tickets forced their way into the Copa America soccer tournament final at Hard Rock Stadium, with one person citing serious injuries and some ticket holders saying they were denied entry.

Miami-Dade County and federal court records show that as of Friday morning, at least four lawsuits had been filed against the stadium and CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing organization, over the chaos that broke out at the admission gates before Sunday’s game between Argentina and Colombia.

Attorney Judd Rosen, who represents an injured woman, said stadium and CONMEBOL officials should have hired more police officers and security guards, but they put profits above safety.

“This was a cash grab,” Rosen said. “All the money they should have spent on an appropriate safety plan and adequate safety team, they put in their pockets.”

Stadium officials declined comment Friday beyond saying they will refund unused tickets bought directly from organizers. They previously said they hired double the security for Sunday’s final compared to Miami Dolphins games and had exceeded CONMEBOL’s recommendations. The stadium will be hosting several games during the 2026 World Cup.

CONMEBOL, which is based in Paraguay, also did not specifically comment on the lawsuits. In an earlier statement, the tournament organizers put blame for the melees on stadium officials, saying they had not implemented its recommendations.

Rosen’s client, Isabel Quintero, was one of several ticket holders injured when they were knocked down or into walls and pillars. Police arrested 27 people — including the president of Colombia’s