Hard Rock Stadium releases statement after chaos prior to Copa America final

The Copa America Final was delayed on Sunday night after fans began entering the stadium without tickets. Immediately after the chaos began, Hard Rock Stadium released a quick statement, demanding that fans without tickets leave immediately.

And after the conclusion of the game, the home of the Miami Dolphins released a longer statement about the situation that occurred.

Here is the full statement from Hard Rock Stadium:

"Hard Rock Stadium takes pride in hosting world-class events year-round in a safe and successful manner. For the Copa Ameirca Final, the venue working in collaboration with CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and local law enforcement agencices. Preperations included an increase in the number of law enforcement officers and security on-hand, with more than double the personnel than a typical at-capacity stadium event.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, there were numerous attempts by unruly fans without tickets to overpower security and law enforcement personnel at entry points to the stadium staff at extreme risk. Various stadium gates were closed and re-opened strategically in an attempt to allow ticketed guests to enter safely and in a controlled manner. Fans continued to engage in illegal conduct - fighting police officers, breaking down walls and barricades and vandalizing the stadium, causing significant damage to the property.

When it became apparent that it would not be safe to start the match at 8 p.m., a joint decision was made to postpone. Shortly after 8 p.m. stadium officials, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, and law enforcement officers communication and decided to open stadium gates for a short period of time to all fans to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter. The gates were then closed once th threat of fans being crushed was alleviated. At that time, the venue was at capacity and gates were not re-opened. Shortly after the match started, alcohol sales were stopped and event organizers instituted a detailed plan and increased security presence to allow for a peaceful egress upon the conclusion of the match.

We understand there are disappointed ticket holders who were not able to enter the stadium after the perimeter was closed and we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address those individual concerns. Ultimately, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of all guests and staff, and that will always remain our priority.

We are grateful to the law enforcement officers who managed a difficult situation and prioritized the safety of the venue, the players, their families and the fans. We will continue to work with law enforcement to identify and hold criminals accountable who engaged in illegal conduct tonight. It is disappointing that a night of celebration was impacted by unlawful and unsafe behavior, and we will fully review the processes and protocols in place tonight and work with law enforcement to ensure such an event never happens again."

One person even captured a photo of the 72 Club entrance, showing the destruction.

And many fans who purchased tickets were not even able to get into the stadium and watch the match.

The match was delayed for over an hour, officially starting at 9:22 p.m. between Argentina and Columbia, with Argentina taking home the crown.

What is the Copa America Tournament? (via A to Z Sports' Wendell Ferreira)

The Copa America tournament is organized by Conmebol every four years with South American national teams. Usually, the confederation invites two teams from other continents to create a 12-team competition.

But for the second time in eight years, it decided to go to the United States, with its 10 national teams, plus six national teams from Concacaf — including the USMNT — mostly for financial reasons.