Handout/Miami-Dade County/Reuters
Colombian Football Federation President Ramon Jesullan is arrested by police after an altercation at Hard Rock Stadium.
CNN
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Colombian Football Federation President Ramon Jesulun was arrested at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, after Argentina’s win over Colombia. Copa America Last Sunday.
Jeslun, who is also the vice president of tournament organizers and South American soccer federation CONMEBOL, was charged with three felony counts of “assault on certain officials/employees.”
According to a Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) arrest report, the 71-year-old Jesuran is accused of getting into a “violent physical confrontation” with multiple stadium security guards.
The federation president’s 43-year-old son, Ramon Hamil Jesuran, was also arrested in the same altercation on the same assault charge and one misdemeanor assault charge, according to a separate arrest report.
Neither the Colombian Football Federation nor CONMEBOL have responded to CNN’s requests for more information about the Jeslon brothers’ arrests.
Police allege the Jeslons were part of a group attempting to enter a tunnel leading to the field, where security personnel briefly detained people while reporters gathered in the next section of the tunnel.
According to the arrest report, the Jesuran brothers then became “enraged” and began yelling at the guards. Jesuran Sr. is accused of shoving a guard who was trying to subdue the president, while Jesuran Jr. is accused of grabbing the guard by the throat, pulling him to the ground and punching and kicking him.
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Concerns are growing about how the United States will manage the 2026 World Cup.
Additional security forces then intervened and members of the Jesrun family were assaulted when they tried to detain the father and son, according to the arrest report.
According to MDPD, 27 people were arrested and 55 ejected in connection with the game, where a large crowd of ticketless people forced their way into Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the highly anticipated match. MDPD said in a statement that more than 800 officers from multiple local agencies were present at the stadium.
As a result of the crowd control issues, the Miami-Dade police chief called for a comprehensive review of all safety and security protocols ahead of the 2026 World Cup, in which Hard Rock Stadium is scheduled to host seven matches.
“As part of our thorough analysis of last night’s game, we will review the protocols we have in place to ensure an orderly, safe and secure environment at all future events,” MDPD Director Stephanie V. Daniels said. release“I am extremely proud of our officers’ response to a volatile situation and their hard work to keep our community safe.”
Fans breached security, forcing Miami-Dade Police to block the entrances and postpone kickoff.
in statementHard Rock Stadium reflected on the events of that night, saying, “Fans continued to engage in unlawful behavior, engaging in fights with officers, destroying barriers and barricades, vandalizing the stadium and causing significant damage to facilities.”
Hard Rock Stadium later announced that it had decided to reopen the stadium’s gates to all fans for a short period of time “to prevent crowds from overrunning the stadium and potentially causing serious injury to anyone in the vicinity.”
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Fans without tickets forced their way into the stadium.
“The gates were closed once there was no longer any risk of fans being crushed. At that point the venue was full and the gates were not reopened,” a stadium official said. “We understand the disappointment of ticket holders who were unable to enter the stadium after the perimeter was closed and we will be working with CONMEBOL to address their individual concerns.”
in statement CONMEBOL, which issued a statement about the security breach on Monday, said it would “comply with the decision of the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, in accordance with our established contractual responsibilities regarding security activities.”
“In addition to the preparations set out in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities proven procedures for events of this magnitude, but they were not taken into account,” the federation said. “We regret that what should have been a great sporting spectacle was tainted by violent acts committed by malicious individuals.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levin Cava said she was outraged by the events at the stadium on Sunday night.
“This should never have happened and must never happen again. We are working with stadium leadership to immediately conduct a full review of tonight’s events to evaluate the entire series of events and work to put in place the necessary protocols and policies for all future matches,” she said. statement.
