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Colombia soccer chief and son arrested at Copa America final

Colombia soccer chief and son arrested at Copa America final


The president of the Colombian Football Federation was arrested with adult son during the chaotic Copa America final this weekend.

Ramón Jesurún, 71, and his son Ramón Jamil Jesurún, 43, were arrested on three charges of battery on a specified official or employee, in the early hours of Monday. This was later dropped to two charges for both men. The younger Jesurún is facing an additional misdemeanor battery charge.

The father and son are accused of fighting with security guards during wild scenes at the Hard Rock Stadium. The chaos led to the match between Colombia and Argentina being delayed by more than 80 minutes.

After the game ended, security guards were holding people back from a tunnel where media had gathered at around 12:20am on Monday.

P resident of the Colombian Football Federation, Ramón Jesurún, was involved in an altercation with security guards at the Copa America final
P resident of the Colombian Football Federation, Ramón Jesurún, was involved in an altercation with security guards at the Copa America final (MIAMI-DADE COUNTY via REUTERS)

According to a Miami-Dade Police Department arrest report, obtained by WPLG, the father and son “became irate” and began shouting at a guard. The altercation became physical after a security guard asked the men to step back, and placed a palm on the younger Jesurún’s chest to “guide him back”, according to the report.

The elderJesurún stepped forward to push the guard, according to police, then his son grabbed the guard’s neck and punched him. The guard, was hospitalised following the incident. The men are accused of then fighting with other security guards.

The two men were booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami, at around 4:15am on Monday.

The younger Ramón Jamil Jesurún faces charges of battery following an alleged fight with security guards at the Copa America final
The younger Ramón Jamil Jesurún faces charges of battery following an alleged fight with security guards at the Copa America final (MIAMI-DADE COUNTY via REUTERS)

The senior Jesurún has been a member of the FIFA Council since 2016 and is also vice president of CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body for soccer. CONMEBOL organized Copa America.

Jesurún Jr describes himself as a “motivator” and “speaker” on Instagram. He is the founder of Fütness Worldwide, a company dedicated to sports training, based in the US.

A lack of crowd control and trespassing prompted chaos at the Copa America final, which Argentina won 1-0. The game was delayed more than 80 minutes as police offices lost control of the crowds and stopped letting ticketholders into the stadium.

Thousands of fans turned up without tickets and attempted to force their way into the stadium – with some even trying to climb through air vents.

Fans rushed the gates before the Copa America Final match in Miami on Sunday, July 14, 2024
Fans rushed the gates before the Copa America Final match in Miami on Sunday, July 14, 2024 (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con)

According to a press release from the Miami-Dade Police Department, 27 people were arrested and 55 people were ejected from the match.

“Throughout the afternoon and evening, there were numerous attempts by unruly fans without tickets to overpower security and law enforcement personnel at entry points to the stadium, putting themselves, other fans and security and stadium staff at extreme risk,” said the Hard Rock Stadium in a statement released on Sunday.

There appeared to be significant damage to the stadium following the match.

Video and images posted to social media showed the shattered side railings of an escalator inside the stadium, with shoes, soda cans, reading glasses and articles of clothing left behind.

Written by bourbiza mohamed

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