Miami, Florida - Chaotic scenes delayed the start of the Copa América soccer final between Argentina and Colombia on Sunday by over 75 minutes after poor organization nearly caused a catastrophic crush.

Tournament organizers halted entry into the ground and delayed kick-off of the South American soccer showpiece after Miami-Dade Police ordered the gates around Miami's Hard Rock Stadium closed two hours before kick off, due to unspecified "unruly behavior."

This caused a dangerous build up of fans and a crush developed, with some people needing medical attention, mainly for heat exhaustion.

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.

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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.

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

"They are treating us like animals, basically there's no organization 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."

Supporters told The Athletic that cops threatened them with tear gas and arrest even as they were struggling with the increasingly dangerous conditions.

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.

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"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."

Both CONMEBOL, the tournament organizers, and Hard Rock Stadium blamed fans for the chaos, but this wasn't the first incident that called safety protocols at US arenas into question.

A brawl marred the end of Wednesday's semifinal between Colombia and Uruguay, with Uruguayan players climbing into the stands of the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina and clashed with Colombian fans, claiming family members had been threatened in the aftermath of their 1-0 defeat.

"CONMEBOL should not have brought this tournament to the United States," one fan told The Athletic Sunday. "Look around, because they’re not ready for a World Cup."