Argentina and Columbia are set to face each other today in the final of the Copa America being played in the United States. The match should've been kicked off at 5:30 AM IST and in fact, would've neared the conclusion within 30 minutes as well. But the summit clash involving Lionel Messi has been delayed with the security breach.
A plethora of fans entered the stadium without tickets two hours ahead of the encounter and the organisers had to take the tough call to delay the final. The kick-off time now for the Copa America final is 6:45 AM IST and it will be interesting to see who lifts the trophy this time. The Hard Rock Stadium issued an official statement as well and it was earlier confirmed that the game has been delayed until further notice and then the new start time was decided.
"In anticipation of tonight's Copa America Final, thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, putting other fans, security and law enforcement officers at extreme risk. Security has shut the gates in order to control the entry process at a much slower rate and ensure everyone is kept safe. As a result, tonight's match start time has been delayed until further notice to accommodate for ticketed fans to be able to safely enter the stadium," the statement read.
Even the police officials issued a statement confirming that the gates were locked due to rush of fans and urged the ticket-holders of the game to be patient and follow the set by the officers. "We have had several incidents prior to the gates opening at Hard Rock Stadium for the COPA America final game. These incidents have been a result of the unruly behavior of fans trying to access the stadium.
"We are asking everyone to be patient, and abide by the rules set by our officers and Hard Rock Stadium personnel," the statement from the Miami-Dade Police read.
More to follow...
