The president of the Colombian Football Federation has been arrested after allegedly fighting with security guards during Sunday’s chaotic Copa América final.
Ramón Jesurún, who is also vice-president of Conmebol and a member of the FIFA council, was detained along with his son, Ramón Jamil Jesurún. The pair were at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to watch Colombia play Argentina. The match ended in a 1-0 victory for Argentina.
According to an arrest report from Miami-Dade police, the Jesurúns got into an altercation with security personnel around midnight, just after the game ended. The report says the elder Jesurún became “enraged” at a security guard who was blocking people from entering an area where media had gathered. When the 71-year-old pushed the guard back, his son allegedly grabbed the security member by the neck and punched him. The report says the two men then fought with the guards.
The father and son were booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center just after 4 a.m. Monday. according to Miami’s WPLG Local 10They are accused of assaulting a specific official or employee.
The final was chaotic. Fans climbed over fences and barriers to enter the stadium, causing a long delay to kick-off as officials struggled to control access to the stadium.
The stadium appeared to have been significantly damaged as a result. Videos and images posted on social media showed the side railings of an escalator inside the stadium smashed, with shoes, soda cans, reading glasses and items of clothing left behind. Security barriers at a checkpoint near the southwestern entrance to the stadium were bent as thousands of people, including crying children, pushed against them.
According to Miami-Dade police, more than 800 police officers attended the event.