By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Hard Rock Stadium said it exceeded South American football governing body CONMEBOL’s security recommendations for the Copa America after chaos engulfed Sunday’s final.
More than two dozen people were arrested and hundreds more were locked out in sweltering conditions after ticketless fans tried to force their way into the stadium in Miami Gardens for the match between Argentina and Colombia.
CONMEBOL pointed blame at Hard Rock Stadium, saying on Monday that the facility did not take into account its recommendations for the final of South America’s most important national team tournament.
“Hard Rock Stadium implemented, and in many cases exceeded, CONMEBOL’s security recommendations throughout the tournament and the Final,” Hard Rock Stadium said in its statement on Tuesday.
The stadium, the home of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins, has hosted some of sport’s biggest events including the Super Bowl just four years ago.
“We will evaluate the protocols and processes in place across all aspects of stadium operations,” the statement read.
“We remain grateful for the law enforcement officers and stadium staff who worked to prioritize the safety of all attendees despite the unprecedented scale of aggressive and unlawful behavior on display from a subset of unruly fans.”
On a chaotic evening, the match was delayed by more than an hour and the Colombian federation president and his son were arrested after an altercation at the stadium following the game.
With the United States preparing to co-host the World Cup in two years, Miami-Dade County said it would review security protocol for the quadrennial tournament with Hard Rock Stadium set to host seven matches including the bronze medal game.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)
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