Fingers are being pointed over the responsibility for the chaos that unfolded at the Copa América final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. And everyone who is being blamed is looking for someone else to blame.
Here’s a thought. Blame everyone.
It was a collective failure, one that often happens in a situation where the kitchen has too many chefs, Chef. No one steps up and says what needs to be done, because everyone assumes someone else will.
Here’s what needed to be done here. The event should have been secured like a Super Bowl, with multiple layers and levels of security that prevent fans from rushing the gates, as they did on Sunday night.
The World Cup presumably will have Super Bowl-style security. If that wasn’t the plan, it surely is now. The Copa América final should have had it. Someone should have insisted on it. The fact that no one did means that it’s the fault of everyone who had fingerprints on the security planning and execution for the match.
If anything, the mess will make it more imperative for all World Cup matches to be played in the U.S. in two years to have the highest level of order. And the message should be obvious in the future — when in doubt, go with more elaborate security measures. Whatever the cost.