Colombia's soccer federation president and son among 27 arrested in chaos at Copa America final
CTV
Colombia's soccer federation president and his son were among 27 people arrested during the crowd control issues that broke out Sunday at the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, police said Monday.
Colombia's soccer federation president and his son were among 27 people arrested during the crowd control issues that broke out Sunday at the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, police said Monday.
Ramon Jesurun and his son Ramon Jamil Jesurun were detained after the event at Hard Rock Stadium and charged, Miami-Dade police detective Andre Martin told The Associated Press.
Both men are facing three counts of felony battery on an official after being accused of fighting multiple stadium security guards. Arrest records said both men tried to go onto the field through a tunnel where media was gathering after the match. They were stopped by security, and the police report said they "became irate" at the delay. A verbal altercation eventually turned physical with a guard placing an "open palm" on Ramon Jamil Jesurun's chest to "guide him back" and the younger Jesurun grabbing the guard "around his neck" and pulling him to the ground before throwing "two punches that impacted" the guard, the report said. The two men were placed into custody after midnight.
Colombia's soccer federation didn't immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from the AP.
Ramon Jesurun, 71, has been president of the Colombian soccer federation since 2015 and is a vice-president of CONMEBOL, South American soccer's governing body that organizes the Copa America tournament.
In a statement released Monday, the organization said it regrets the scene in which countless fans entered the stadium without tickets and "tarnished" the event. The game was delayed for more than an hour as authorities worked to control the situation, eventually deciding to let some fans in without going through security checkpoints.
"In this situation, CONMEBOL was subject to the decisions made by the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, according to the contractual responsibilities established for security operations," the organization said. "In addition to the preparations determined in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities the procedures proven in events of this magnitude, which were NOT taken into account."
