Tisha ThompsonApr 18, 2025, 04:26 PM ET
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- Tisha Thompson is an investigative reporter for ESPN primarily based in Washington, D.C. Her paintings seems on all platforms, each regionally and the world over.
Officers for Miami-Dade County stated a loss of intelligence amassing, inadequate safety perimeters and big numbers of unticketed enthusiasts on stadium grounds resulted in the chaotic scene that opened up forward of remaining 12 months’s Copa América ultimate between Argentina and Colombia at Onerous Rock Stadium.
Miami-Dade police won a document the day sooner than the overall that Texas legislation enforcement “skilled difficulties disposing of crowds from the stadium spaces” after a separate Copa América fit, and that enormous crowds had been forming within the streets close to the Colombia staff lodge in Florida, the then-chief of the Miami-Dade County Strategic Reaction Department wrote in an after-action document dated Dec. 13, 2024, and received through ESPN.
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The tips brought on officers to turn on extra police for the sport. No less than 900 contributors of legislation enforcement in the long run staffed or spoke back to the development, in step with the document.
Nonetheless, the document states, “the truth that 20,000 to 30,000 buyers had a plan to reach early, park off website online, then crash the access gates with overwhelming numbers used to be now not collected and shared through any intelligence supply. Had this data been identified, our plan would had been changed for this contingency.”
The document recommends that legislation enforcement observe social media platforms to find such plans.
1000’s of enthusiasts rushed Onerous Rock Stadium forward of the July fit, leaping over safety railings and operating previous cops, jeopardizing the protection of enthusiasts, avid gamers and referees. The scene led stadium and fit officers to extend the sport. Fifty-four other people had been ejected and 26 other people had been arrested, in step with the document.
Huge numbers of unticketed enthusiasts crashed the access gates forward of the Copa América ultimate between Argentina and Colombia. Getty Photographs
The night time of the overall, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava stated she used to be “outraged” through what came about and promised a overview.
Onerous Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, is the house of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and can host seven FIFA Global Cup fits in 2026.
ESPN contacted CONMEBOL — the federation that arranged the event — and Miami-Dade police for remark. A spokesperson for Onerous Rock Stadium stated its officers have now not noticed the document and subsequently weren’t in a position to remark.
“We stay up for development at the revel in of our companions and the teachings discovered from earlier main occasions together with the Copa América Ultimate in the summertime of 2024, which introduced necessary insights and courses discovered about alternatives to reinforce safety features and protocols for long term occasions,” Cava and Miami-Dade County leader of public protection James Reyes stated in a observation to ESPN.
“We will be able to proceed to collaborate with the Sheriff’s workplace which can lead legislation enforcement efforts for the Global Cup and all our legislation enforcement companions in addition to the stadium, to verify the protection of all citizens and guests.”
Onerous Rock Stadium allowed unticketed automobiles and pedestrians onto the grounds forward of the fit, in step with the document. Whilst Onerous Rock “lets in enthusiasts open get admission to onto the grounds for the nice majority of occasions … with out a prior unwanted side effects,” the document recommends that the stadium believe extending its safety perimeter and correctly display screen pedestrians and automobiles to stop unticketed people from getting into the parking a lot all the way through high-profile occasions.
“Many of us with out tickets crowded the access gates and applied their huge numbers to hurry the gates and bypass all safety features,” the document states. “Efforts through police and stadium safety had been useless in sorting the ticketed buyers from the ones with out tickets. Non-ticketed enthusiasts may now not successfully be got rid of from the gates because of the huge selection of other people pushing in opposition to the crowded gates.”
Stadium officers and police additionally had a hard time speaking with the huge crowds on the gate, the document states, recommending that police deploy transportable speaker programs for long term occasions.
The document states that “a loss of group” through event organizers resulted in the “rampant use of picture tickets.”
As a substitute, tournament tickets will have to be issued electronically to reduce the danger of fraud and duplication, in step with the document.
ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano contributed to this document.
