Colombia knock Poland out

Chaotic scenes delayed the start of the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia on Sunday by over 75 minutes after fans were kept waiting outside the venue for hours.

Tournament organisers halted entry into the ground and delayed kick-off of the South American football showpiece after fans rushed the entrance gates, clashing with security and leading to the gates being closed, two hours before kick off.

Fans were gradually, slowly, alowed into the venue, later, with some needing medical attention mainly for heat exhaustion.

Shortly before the scheduled start of the game, gates were opened and fans were allowed to flood in - with no ticket checks.

An AFP reporter on the scene witnessed several fans receiving treatment from paramedics inside the venue and others staggering and needing help from friends before lying down on the floor.

Miami Dade Police said in a statement there had been "several incidents" prior to the game at the venue.

"These incidents have been a result of unruly behavior of fans trying to access the stadium," the statement said.

"We are asking everyone to be patient and abide by the rules set by our officers ... unruly behavior will get you ejected and/or arrested. We have a zero tolerance behavior against unruly conduct from everyone attending."

- 'Treated like animals' -
Fans however took aim at the organisation of the event, with one Argentina supporter saying fans had been treated like "animals."

"They are treating us like animals, basically there's no organisation whatsoever, there is nothing. I mean, they didn't prepare for 60,000 people," Cabarelli said. "There is no preparation, people are fainting and passing out."

Asked if the situation had felt dangerous, Cabarelli said: "100 percent. I'm still  shaking. I feel like I'm a cow."

Other fans interviewed by AFP  described chaotic scenes at the entrance gates, with some fans forcing their way into the venue past security staff as frustration boiled over.

"It was crazy, people were just trying to get in like crazy," said David Fernandez, a Colombia fan from Gainesville, Florida.

"They just didn't want to wait. They were just rushing over and running over. They've opened the gates three different times -- it was good for two or three minutes and then everybody was just rushing."

Rosy Riales said fans lining up in sweltering temperatures had got increasingly frustrated at the failure to open the gates on time.

"People are just riled up and excited, so they're pushing and it's like mayhem," she told AFP. "They should have opened the gates sooner to let people in slowly."

A statement by Copa America organisers on X, formerly Twitter, appeared to suggest the chaos had been caused by unticketed fans attempting to gain entry.

"Please be advised that people who do not have tickets will not be able to enter the stadium," the statement said.

"Only those who have purchased tickets will be able to enter once access is reopened"".

The chaos comes amid heightened scrutiny of stadium security at the Copa America following a brawl which marred the end of Wednesday's semi-final between Colombia and Uruguay.

Uruguayan players climbed into the stands and clashed with Colombian fans, claiming family members had been threatened in the aftermath of Uruguay's 1-0 defeat.

Szymon Marciniak will be the first referee from Poland to officiate a World Cup final when France take on Argentina on Sunday, a dream come true for the Pole who was forced to step away from his duties a year ago due to a heart illness.

The 41-year-old, who became a FIFA referee in 2011, was all set to officiate in the European Championship last year before he was diagnosed with Tachycardia.

"I had a very difficult time for the last year-and-a-half. I had Tachycardia - it's a heart illness. In the beginning, it was very difficult for me and I had to stop refereeing," Marciniak said.

"I missed the UEFA European Championship, it was a terrible feeling. Now, life gives back to me and I cannot even stop smiling because it's a great feeling."

Reigning champions France take on Lionel Messi's high-flying Argentina at the near-90,000 capacity Lusail Stadium. Marciniak has already officiated in games involving the two teams in Qatar.

He took charge in France's 2-1 group stage win over Denmark where Kylian Mbappe scored twice before watching Messi lead Argentina to a 2-1 win over Australia in the last 16.

Marciniak is not the only Polish official who will be on the pitch, however. He will be assisted by compatriots Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz -- all of whom worked together at the 2018 World Cup in Russia as well.

Poland's Tomasz Kwiatkowski will be in his ear as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) while American Ismail Elfath -- a two-times Major League Soccer Referee of the Year -- will be the fourth official.

Brazil beat Colombia 1-0 in a benefit match for the families of those killed in the Chapecoense air disaster but Wednesday's game in Rio de Janeiro was marred by a disappointing turnout.

Only 18,695 people were in the 45,000 capacity Nilton Santos stadium for what was billed as 'The Friendship Game.' Some fans of club side Botafogo also booed Willian Arao, who left for rivals Flamengo last year.

The game, played less than two months after the tragedy, was another emotional night for players and fans.

Only six of the 77 people on board the Lamia flight carrying the Chapecoense team to Colombia for their Copa Sudamericana final survived the crash on Nov. 28.

Four of the survivors were Brazilians, three players and a radio commentator, and all four were introduced to fans before the game.

One of them, goalkeeper Jackson Follmann, was in a wheelchair after having part of his leg amputated as a result of the crash. The other two players, Neto and Alan Ruschel, have returned to training and hope to play again later this year.

Brazilian midfieler Diego said he had been honoured to play in the match.

"This was more than a game, I had the chance to be with Follmann and Neto, they are heroes," he said. "They are heroes and anything we can do to help them then we'll be there."

The players, along with commentator Rafael Henzel, received commemorative plates before the game and stood with the teams as they sang the national anthems.

Henzel then commentated on part of the game for O Globo, the television company that helped organise the game.

Globo, Brazil's biggest media company, said sponsors would guarantee at least 3.8 million reais ($1.2 million) to the families of those affected by the crash.

The game was played with only home based players from both sides, meaning the likes of Barcelona's Neymar and Real Madrid's James Rodriguez were not present.

Palmeiras striker Dudu got the only goal of the game two minutes into the second half when he headed home from close range after Fagner's cross rebounded to him.

Brazil won the match to record their seventh consecutive victory under coach Tite.

James Rodriguez has looked back to his brilliant best at the Copa America and the Colombian said he is determined to take his side to their second trophy in the competition after they beat Panama 5-0 in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

The 32-year-old has impressed in the run by 2001 champions Colombia to the semi-finals, with his outstanding vision and defence-splitting passes leading to him notching five assists - tied with Lionel Messi (2021) for most assists in a single edition of the tournament.

Rodriguez's creative ability once again caught the eye in the win over Panama, as he sent in a pin-point corner for the opener, before scoring an emphatic penalty and then providing the assist for Colombia's third goal with a bit of quick thinking.

"A tough match, they are very strong, but we came in in a good way, we knew how to score the goals quickly and that gave us control of the match," Rodriguez said after picking up his third player of the match award in four games.

"Did I want to be the best player of the Copa? Yes, I wanted to have a very good Cup, help my teammates to go far. We are going until the last day, let's hope we can reach that great final that we all want, we are going through a good moment too."

Rodriguez is once again Colombia's main man, but he has had to fight to get here.

He burst into the limelight by winning the Golden Boot during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which earned him a high-profile move to LaLiga giants Real Madrid.

However, his club career never quite managed to reach the level he displayed for Colombia, and after a difficult stint at Real and an underwhelming loan spell at Bayern Munich, Rodriguez joined Everton in 2020.

He competed in the Premier League for one season and had equally short spells at Qatari side Al-Rayyan and Olympiakos, before joining Brazilian side Sao Paulo last year.

Rodriguez was left out of Colombia's squad for the 2021 Copa America due to a lack of fitness, but has been fully reinstated in the team by Nestor Lorenzo.

Under Lorenzo, Colombia have evolved into one of South America's best teams, going on a 27-match unbeaten run in which they have claimed massive wins over teams like Brazil and Germany.

"He is a great player, nothing to explain. He is a player who is happy on the pitch," Lorenzo told reporters on Saturday.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has announced a benefit game between Brazil and Colombia on Jan. 25, the same day Chapecoense play their first game since the air crash that prompted the friendly.

"It is a game organised for a very specific motive and we hope to help the families who have lost so much," CBF national teams' coordinator Edu Gaspar said on Monday.

Only Brazilian-based players will be called up for the match at Rio de Janeiro's Engenhao Stadium.

Money raised will go to the families of those who died in the Nov. 28 air crash in Colombia.

Seventy-one people died when a plane taking Chapecoense players, directors and staff to the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional crashed into a mountain outside Medellin. There were only six survivors.

The benefit game takes place the same night Chapecoense return to Premier League action at home to Joinville.

The league fixture was already scheduled when the CBF made their announcement and it will put the participation of Chapecoense representatives for the Brazil-Colombia game in doubt.