Ep 69: Part 1 | What Happened at the Copa America Final? (FFT Eyewitness Accounts)

In a riveting episode we weren’t necessarily planning on, we dive deep into the pandemonium that unfolded ahead of the Copa America Final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL on Sunday, July 14. We’re joined by four FFTs who were there that evening, as well as one who attended the previous Colombia match (the Copa semi-final), each bringing a unique perspective on the chaotic events of that unforgettable night.

Guests:

Najjah Calibur - International match host who has performed recently at World Cup 2022 & AFC Asian Cup 2023. Najjah was the stadium MC that night.

Shirley Checa - Argentina fan who followed the team throughout the Copa America. 

Monica Bosiljevac - A fellow footy traveler, USA and Jamaica supporter who ultimately did not make it into the stadium.

Cheyenne Foster - Footy fan vlogger and American soccer fanatic currently footy traveling via van life.

Danny Navarro - Colombian fan originally from Miami who offers his thoughts on fellow Colombian fans, both those at the Copa Final and at large.

Part 1:

00:49 | Recap of events ahead of kick-off

05:43 | Najjah’s report from inside the stadium

14:01 | Shirley recalls the chaos and stress outside the gates

22:25 | Panic attacks and crying children

30:02 | People sitting in the aisles and in other people’s seats

Further Reading:

There’s plenty of 'journalistic' perspectives on this too…

Here’s one from the Washington Post’s Sunday night report, and one from Bleacher Report. Here’s another one from CBS News. Our personal favorite, though, was The Athletic’s live blog page for Copa America Final. 

Alexis Mac Allister’s mother, Silvina, describes the experience of entering the stadium as “inhumane” (note: video esta en Español)

Finally, here’s Fox’s Alexi Lalas (a totally noncontroversial voice in the soccer space) with his take on things