Tactical Manager's first-hand account of the disaster that was the 2024 Copa America final outside the stadium

Argentina lifted the Copa America trophy with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Colombia in extra time, thanks to a sensational goal by Lautaro Martinez. The game also saw Lionel Messi injured and Angel Di Maria play his final match for the national team.

With a halftime show featuring Shakira and a game that was tight, rough, and emotional, it should have been a final for the ages. However, it was hampered by disastrous organization that was not prepared for the overflow of people who arrived at the Hard Rock Stadium without tickets.

The scenes outside saw fans sneaking into the stadium by pushing gates open, jumping over fences, and even attempting to move through the ventilation system. While some journalists inside the stadium were taking selfies as if they were at a fashion gala, Filippo Silva, also known as Tactical Manager, was at the scene and spoke with Bolavip about what he witnessed.

Tactical Manager on chaos at Hard Rock Stadium

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Regarding security at the Hard Rock Stadium, Filippo stated, “It was almost non-existent, zero. I’m pretty sure that if people wanted to bring weapons into the stadium, they could have.” Filippo’s statement was also echoed by more traditional journalists who gave eyewitness accounts that the police and security eventually gave up and simply allowed people into the stadium.

Silva, who had tickets for the club level of the stadium, witnessed fans “forming a chain and almost forcing their way into the club level. Once the door opened, people just started rushing in.” Silva also mentioned that those who had paid for parking “could not get to the parking lot” due to the overflow of vehicles at the stadium.

In the end, Silva decided it was best not to enter the stadium. “It just didn’t feel safe, and (stadium employees) said they were not going to let anyone else into the stadium, even if you had tickets. So even if we wanted to get in, they wouldn’t let us in.”

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Tactical Manager’s account of what happened was echoed by many supporters who had paid for tickets but were unable to get inside. During halftime of the game, police and security began identifying fans without tickets and removed them from the stadium.