As the Copa America 2024 concluded with Argentina beating Colombia 1-0 to win the continental trophy for the 16th time, chaos ensued in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium with fans vandalising the venue as many fans weren’t allowed due to fake or no tickets. Amidst this disarray, the president of Colombian football Ramon Jesurun was arrested during an incident at the Copa America final.
The Miami-Dade County police confirmed that Jesurun was arrested on charges of “assault on officer/employee”. The 71-year-old was prohibited from entering the field with his son and other family members after the contest for the awards ceremony as per El Tiempo.
Jesurun’s son encountered a security guard who denied them access causing a dispute between the two parties before police officers intervened. After the physical alteractions, Jesurun and his son were placed in custody after midnight. Miami-Dade police said in a statement there were 27 arrests and 55 ejections from the stadium at the match.
CONMEBOL on Hard Rock stadium fiasco
Addressing the situation at Hard Rock Stadium, CONMEBOL released a statement commenting, “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. 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.”