Copa America games have seldom been alien to violence. In fact, the physical altercation involving Uruguay stars including Darwin Nunez and Colombia fans after the semi-final proved the Copa’s affinity to violence. As if this was not enough to put the tournament in a negative limelight, the prelude to the competition’s final also saw blood. Well, it did not fortunately involve any of Lionel Messi’s teammates from the Argentine side nor the Colombian players. However, it was a fan who was at the center of the grim incident.

As per a viral video on the X page Messi World, a man appearing to be a Colombia supporter is being taken care of by the police at the Hard Rock Stadium. Per the X page, the fan tried to sneak into the stadium before tonight’s game, perhaps to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi and others on last-minute training. We could see the police staff had physically handled the fan whose face was covered in blood.

It remains to be seen as to what further legal charges the fan would face for violating the Copa’s rules at the Hard Rock Stadium. Anyhow, the bloodied fan would soon become oblivious as we head into the Copa America night. Argentina aims to repeat what only the Spain NT has previously achieved in international football in Angel Di Maria’s last game tonight. Meanwhile, Colombia has been Copa’s best side and they will put up a tough fight against the reigning champs.

A win in the Copa America final could place Lionel Messi and Co. alongside Spain

Ever heard about the international hat trick? Two decades back, the Spanish national team won the 2008 UEFA Euro, the 2010 World Cup, and the 2012 Euro to become the only team in soccer history to win three major tournaments in a row. Argentina has won the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup. Now, the US-hosted ongoing Copa remains the last puzzle in that jigsaw. It would indeed be a stellar climax to Angel Di Maria’s iconic Argentina stint, as he announced he would retire after the Copa.

Lionel Messi would perhaps stay a bit longer for La Albiceleste, eyeing a feature in the American FIFA World Cup in 2026. While there is so much buzz around Argentina, James Rodiguez’s Colombia is a true menace that can thwart the World champions. Only time will tell who prevails in Florida tonight. Meanwhile, there are also chances for similar violent incidents to spring up after the game in the Hard Rock Stadium. Now that a fan has already breached the security, they will be more cautious to avoid similar incidents. Hopefully, we don’t get to see another brawl.