Page 97 - Soccer360 Issue 107

TOP:
Argentinas fans cheer for their team during the final match of the Copa America USA 2024 against Colombia
RIGHT:
Fans of Argentina and Colombia, arrested for a pre-game riot Copa America Finals match between Colombia and Argentina at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens
COPA AMERICA 2024 REVIEW
WHAT CAN WC 2026 LEARN FROM COPA AMERICAN 2024?
In football and in life it is often not just how one performs but how one responds to difficult moments that makes a difference. In the education world, these are called teachable moments, times where self-reflection and growth are more important than looking down upon one’s self.
If the 2024 Copa America in the United
States were to be given a school letter grade it would be hard to move beyond
a D. Largely saved by the play on the field and the subplots that revolved around the teams it was a deeply flawed tournament. If the sole objective was to prepare the United States, Mexico, and Canada for hosting the 2026 World Cup it succeeded in a sense because it showed the many areas in which there needed to be improvement.
But if that was the sole objective the bar and expectations would have been quite low. As with any tournament, Copa America 2024 was supposed to show how prepared and ready North America, in particular the United States, was for the event. Instead it proved how far it still needs to go.
From the start of the tournament, there were issues. Complaints about the training pitches (particularly in Atlanta which is the new home of US Soccer), the price of tickets, fan problems, and empty stadiums began to trickle through the press. It certainly didn’t
help that UEFA was hosting a European Championship simultaneously with minimal issues reported. Fans watching from afar bore witness to two separate high-level competitions going on at the same time with one appearing to be prepared (UEFA) while the other was not (CONMEBOL and CONCACAF-more on that arrangement shortly).
All of this could have been overlooked had the Copa America’s organizers stuck the landing. But the separate incidents involving the semifinal match against Colombia and Uruguay and the final between Argentina and Colombia set in stone how much
of a disaster the tournament was. The Colombia-Uruguay match saw Uruguayan families being approached after the match by Colombian fans, putting them in grave danger. If that scenario scared tournament organizers, the final gave them a nightmare. The match began hours after what was supposed to be the initial kickoff due to supporters without tickets rushing the ticket gates in Miami. Videos surfaced online of security letting fans with or without a ticket (while also not being checked for weapons, alcohol and other unfriendly items), while others were finding more creative ways of getting in breaking through air vents and crawling into the stadium. All of this was happening on a scorching hot
day in Miami with people complaining of heat exhaustion.
Now the organizers of the 2026 World Cup do have a bit of an out in that CONMEBOL was responsible for organizing Copa America 2024 and that Charlotte will not
be used in their tournament. But World
Cup organizers will certainly have to do some damage control, especially when it comes to ticket prices and crowd control.
If FIFA expects 1994 World Cup 2.0 to happen with soaring ticket prices and lax security standards they may be in for a rude awakening.
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