Soccer fans see red after Snapdragon Stadium entry delays mar Colombia-Jordan friendly
The warning signs were visible before the first whistle.
Long before Colombia finished its final pre-World Cup friendly Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium, thousands of ticketed fans were still stuck outside the Mission Valley venue, trapped in slow-moving lines that wrapped around entry points and left frustrated supporters baking in the afternoon heat while the match went on without them.
The announced crowd of 28,831 was dominated by Colombian fans in canary yellow jerseys, transforming the stadium into a loud, traveling outpost for Los Cafeteros. But the heavy turnout also appeared to overwhelm the entry operation, creating bottlenecks at the gates and forcing security and event staff to slow the flow of fans into the building.
The contrast with the previous day was stark. Saturday's Australia-Switzerland friendly drew 6,107 spectators.
Sunday's crowd was nearly five times larger, and stadium officials appeared unprepared for the difference.
Several main gates appeared to be operating with only one or two entry lanes open, rather than the wider setup normally needed for an international soccer crowd arriving in large waves.
Snapdragon Stadium officials acknowledged the delays in a statement.
"We are aware there were delays at the entry gates for today's match," officials said in a statement. "Additional resources were deployed in real time to support a safe and efficient entry process. We appreciate our guests' patience as we worked to expedite access into the venue."
Whether that was because of understaffing, security concerns, ticket-screening issues or fears of a potential gate rush, the effect was the same: thousands of fans were left stranded outside as the game began.
Eric Beteille, his wife and a friend were caught in the congestion at what he said was Snapdragon Stadium's East Gate, near the Green Line trolley stop. They had just exited a packed trolley full of soccer fans and then waited at least an hour to enter.
Beteille said his group was waved through a metal detector before another security employee pushed them forward, knocking over part of it.
He said a different security employee then moved to stop his wife and others from continuing, his wife fell forward while trying to brace herself, another employee grabbed his phone while he was recording and attempted to bend it before it was returned.
The group ultimately was prevented from entering before returning to the trolley at 4:27 p.m.; Beteille said he spent $800.20 on tickets and is seeking a refund.
The scene raised immediate questions about crowd management at a venue set to remain a major soccer stage, with Snapdragon Stadium scheduled to host 11 matches during the LA28 Summer Olympics, including the men's and women's bronze-medal games.
It also drew comparisons online to the disorder outside Miami's Hard Rock Stadium before the 2024 Copa América final, when dangerous congestion and gate-storming forced a delayed kickoff and exposed serious security failures.
Sunday's situation in San Diego did not reach that level, but it was still a bad look: a major international crowd, limited visible entry capacity, gate restrictions and ticketed fans unable to get inside smoothly for a World Cup warmup.
Inside, Colombia handled its business. Jhon Arias scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Jordan, giving the Colombian-heavy crowd plenty to celebrate once fans finally reached their seats.
Outside, however, the day offered a different kind of rehearsal - one focused less on tactics than logistics.
For many supporters, the lasting memory was not only Arias' finishing or Colombia's World Cup form. It was the wait to get in.
For Beteille and his group, it was not getting in at all.
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