Head of Colombia’s soccer governing body arrested after Copa chaos in Miami
The president of the Colombian Football Federation was arrested early Monday on battery charges after a fight with security guards following the chaos that erupted Sunday at the Copa America 2024 futbol match at the Hard Rock Stadium, police said.
Ramon Jesurun, 71, who is also president of the organization that puts on Copa America, CONMEBOL, was booked into Miami-Dade County jail Monday morning on three counts of battery against a specified official or employee, according to jail records.
His son, 43-year-old Jesus Jamil Jesurun, was arrested on the same charges, according to jail records.
According to the father and son’s arrest reports, the men attacked security guards working at the event who were tasked with keeping people out of a pedestrian tunnel where members of the media were gathered.
Read more: Lax security for walk-ins led to breach, chaos at Hard Rock Stadium’s Copa America final
The incident happened around 12:20 a.m. following the match between Colombia and Argentina, according to the report.
Security guard Jakari Shaw, 24, who was wearing a uniform, was telling the crowd to wait and not enter the tunnel. This angered the two men, and the younger Jesurun yelled in Shaw’s face, police said.
Shaw then told him to get back and placed his palm on the younger Jesurun’s chest to guide him backwards, the report states.
Jesus Jamil Jesurun then grabbed Shaw around the neck, dragged him to the ground and kicked him in the head, according to police.
Another security guard, Daphne Aguste, 28, tried to separate the men. The younger Jesurun raised his fist at her. He did not strike her, but he pushed, pulled and grabbed her, the report states.
Then, Jean Garoute, a security manager, intervened and tried to help his colleagues, according to the report. That’s when the senior Jesurun hit him.
People with the father and son tried to hold the older Jesurun back, but, he “forcefully” pushed forward and punched Garoute, causing his hat to fall on the ground.
Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue paramedics took Shaw to Jackson North Medical Center for treatment, according to the report. His condition as of Monday was not immediately known.
Online jail records indicate the older Jesurun has been released from Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility. His son remained there on a bond of $1,000.
Information about either men’s legal representation was not immediately available.
This is a developing story.
