Cybersecurity and the Olympics, Wednesday, July 17, 12:30 ET
Miami-Dade County will “review security protocol” for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more than a dozen fans were arrested at Sunday’s Copa America Final, “capping a tournament rife with discord,” according to Amy Tennery of REUTERS. Organizers said that fans without tickets “rushed security and tried to force their way” into the Hard Rock Stadium, leading to a “chaotic” scene at the future World Cup venue. Colombian Federation President Ramon Jesurun and his son were among 27 people arrested. The pair were “accused of fighting security personnel after the match ended.” More than 800 law enforcement officers were present at the stadium. A source mentioned that security “was more lax for the Copa final than for the 2020 NFL championship game.” Hard Rock Stadium did “not immediately respond to a request for comment on its security plans” but said in a prior statement that it had “more than double” the personnel on Sunday than at a typical capacity event. The venue is scheduled to host seven matches, including the bronze medal game, at the 2026 World Cup (REUTERS, 7/15).
DIFFERENT EVENTS: In Miami, Rabin, Hanks & Kaufman in a front-page piece noted there was an “extraordinary number of police on the property” which was “almost quadruple the amount of a typical Sunday Miami Dolphins game — it seems the chaos can mostly be chalked up to security not accounting for the thousands of visitors who were permitted to walk into the stadium without game tickets.” County Commission Chair Oliver Gilbert said that Hard Rock Stadium has “had much larger events like the annual Rolling Loud Music Festival, without anywhere near the commotion that took place Sunday” (MIAMI HERALD, 7/15). USA TODAY’s Safid Deen noted CONMEBOL blamed Hard Rock Stadium officials and local authorities ”in a pointed statement;” stadium execs have not yet responded to CONMEBOL’s statement (USA TODAY, 7/15).
HIGH ALERT: In a separate piece, Deen wrote the “ugly” course of events “put immense pressure” on FIFA and host venues in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to learn and prepare ahead of the World Cup. Deen added the “onus falls on FIFA to ensure proper and preemptive measures,” fostered by “thorough communication with stadium officials and local law enforcement.” And changes “must be in place to handle unruly fans before the next World Cup turns into the next soccer tragedy” (USA TODAY, 7/15). In Vancouver, Dan Fumano wrote bedlam in Miami “provide a cautionary example” for the North American cities hosting the much-larger FIFA 2026 World Cup. The City of Vancouver, Vancouver Police Department and the B.C. Government are jointly leading what they call an “integrated safety and security unit” preparing for the 2026 World Cup, which will see Vancouver host seven matches. Fumano added despite the problems at this year’s Copa America, some observers say that “they do not expect anything similar in Vancouver in 2026.” Canada national team coach Jesse Marsch said that he believes the organization of the 2026 World Cup, which is handled by FIFA, “will be ‘very different.’” FIFA also has a track record of “ensuring the execution of its largest event goes smoothly” (VANCOUVER SUN, 7/15).
SAD DAY: In Miami, Michelle Kaufman wrote she has “never witnessed anything like what happened Sunday night.” Kaufman: “It broke my heart for so many reasons. I was sad for my beloved Miami.” She added she was “sad for soccer, the Beautiful Game,” and was “sad for the tens of thousands of law-abiding and rule-following Argentine and Colombian fans who were at the stadium and were unjustly portrayed in racist, anti-immigrant social media posts.” Kaufman: “The vast majority of people at that game behaved perfectly fine. In fact, once the game began, despite heightened emotions and rival fans sitting elbow to elbow, there were no fights in the stands.” Kaufman wrote organizers “could have alleviated some of the tension at the gates by having more Spanish-speaking personnel” at the gates (MIAMI HERALD, 7/15).
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