The first lawsuit has been filed in connection with brawls that erupted when ticketless fans forced their way into soccer's Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium last weekend, alleging one person was seriously injured and that some ticket holders were denied entry.
At least four lawsuits had been filed as of Friday morning against the stadium and South American soccer's governing body, CONMEBOL, over chaos at the entrance gates before Sunday's match between Argentina and Colombia, according to Miami-Dade County and federal court records.
Judd Rosen, a lawyer representing the injured woman, said stadium and CONMEBOL officials should have hired more police and security guards but put profits ahead of safety.
“This is a money-making exercise,” Rosen said. “They've put all of the money that should have gone into a proper safety plan and a proper safety team into their own pockets.”
Stadium officials declined to comment Friday beyond saying they would refund unused tickets purchased directly from organizers. The stadium previously said it had hired twice as many security guards for Sunday's final compared to the Miami Dolphins game, exceeding CONMEBOL recommendations. The stadium is scheduled to host some matches during the 2026 World Cup.
Paraguay-based CONMEBOL has also not commented specifically on the lawsuit, though in an earlier statement tournament organizers blamed the brawl on stadium officials for failing to follow the organisation's recommendations.
Rosen's client, Isabel Quintero, was one of several ticket holders injured when they fell or were hit by walls or pillars. Police arrested 27 people and evicted 55 others, including the president of the Colombian Football Federation and his son, who got into an altercation with security after the match.
Rosen said one client, who works in finance, flew his father from Colombia to Miami to watch the game as a belated Father's Day gift, spending $1,500 each on two tickets.
As Quintero, who is in his 30s, waited in line, he said, a security guard closed the gates to stop fans without tickets from entering. As the crowd grew and kickoff approached, people were pressed dangerously against the fence. The guards opened the gates “just a little bit to let people in one at a time,” Rosen said.
That's when some in the crowd pushed the gates all the way open, triggering a stampede, Rosen said. Quintero was slammed against a pillar, suffering soft-tissue injuries in his knee and shoulder and a chest injury that made it difficult for him to breathe, he said. Quintero's father collapsed but was uninjured.
“My dad never went to see the Colombian national team play because he thought it was too dangerous there,” Rosen said, “so he flew out here as a Father's Day gift to himself to watch his national team play, and this is what happened. It's something he thought would never happen in America.”
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He said he has spoken to people who have had teeth knocked out and arms broken, and he plans to file several more lawsuits.
Attorney Erwin Ast has filed lawsuits in state and federal courts on behalf of fans who had tickets but were turned away because hundreds of ticketless fans crowded into the stadium, exceeding its capacity.
He said the fans had traveled from the United States and across the Americas and had spent thousands of dollars on tickets, airfare and hotel fees, and that spectators had suffered fear and emotional distress as they were caught up in mob stampedes and fights if better security measures had been put in place by the stadiums and CONMEBOL.
“People bring their children. This is a once in a lifetime event for many of them,” Ast said. “It was a horrific situation.”
Reported by The Associated Press.
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