Copa América: Colombian Football Federation president among dozens arrested at final

CNN
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Colombian Football Federation president Ramón Jesurún was arrested at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, after Argentina beat Colombia at the Copa América final Sunday.

Jesurún, who is also a vice president of tournament organizer and South American soccer federation CONMEBOL, was charged with three felony counts of “battery on specified official/employee.”

Jesurún, 71, is accused of engaging in an “aggressive physical altercation” with multiple stadium security officers, according to a Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) arrest report.

The federation president’s 43-year-old son, Ramón Jamil Jesurún, was arrested on the same battery charges plus one misdemeanor battery charge, in the same altercation, according to another arrest report.

Neither the Colombian Football Federation nor CONMEBOL has responded to CNN’s request for more information on the Jesurúns’ arrests.

Police allege that the Jesurúns were part of a group trying to access a tunnel leading onto the field where security officers were temporarily holding people back while the media gathered in the next section of the tunnel.

The arrest report says the Jesurúns then became “irate” and began shouting at a security officer. Jesurún Sr. is accused of pushing the officer who had placed his hand on the president in an attempt to hold him, and Jesurún Jr. is accused of grabbing the officer by his neck and pulling him to the ground before punching and kicking him.

Additional security officers then intervened and were also assaulted by the Jesurúns as other members of their group attempted to restrain the father and son, according to the arrest reports.

According to the MDPD, there were 27 arrests and 55 ejections made in association with the game, which saw a large number of people without tickets force their way into Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the much-anticipated match. Over 800 law enforcement officers from multiple local agencies were on hand at the stadium, MDPD said in its statement.

As a result of the crowd control issues, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department called for a comprehensive review of all safety and security protocols ahead of the World Cup in 2026. Hard Rock Stadium will host seven matches in the tournament.

“As part of the full analysis of last night’s game, we will review protocols set in place to ensure an orderly, safe, and secure environment for all future events,” MDPD Director Stephanie V. Daniels said in a release. “I am very proud of our officers’ response to a volatile situation and for their hard work in keeping our community safe.”

After fans breached security, Miami-Dade Police locked down entrances and delayed the kickoff.

In a statement, recapping the events of the night, Hard Rock Stadium said, “Fans continued to engage in illegal conduct – fighting police officers, breaking down walls and barricades and vandalizing the stadium, causing significant damage to the property.”

A decision was made later to re-open stadium gates “for a short period of time to all fans to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter,” Hard Rock Stadium said.

“The gates were then closed once the threat of fans being crushed was alleviated. At that time, the venue was at capacity and gates were not re-opened,“ stadium officials said. “We understand there are disappointed ticket holders who were not able to enter the stadium after the perimeter was closed, and we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address those individual concerns.”

In a statement issued Monday regarding the security breaches, CONMEBOL said it was “subject to the decisions made by the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, according to the contractual responsibilities established for security operations.”

“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,” the confederation said. “We regret that the acts of violence caused by malicious individuals have tarnished a final that was ready to be a great sports celebration.”

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said she was outraged by the events at the stadium Sunday night.

“This situation should never have taken place and cannot happen again. We will work with stadium leadership to ensure that a full review of tonight’s events takes place immediately to evaluate the full chain of events, in order to put in place needed protocols and policies for all future games,” she said in a statement.