Colombia soccer federation head and son arrested after Copa America final

News | July 15, 2024
President of Colombia’s soccer league governing body Dimayor Perdomo and President of Colombia’s Football Federation Jesurun talk during a meeting at the South American Football confederation CONMEBOL in Luque

(Reuters) -Ramon Jesurun, the head of Colombia’s soccer federation, and his son Ramon Jamil Jesurun were arrested in Miami after the dramatic final of the Copa America during which ticketless fans attempted to break into the stadium, according to media reports and jail records.

Sunday’s final, which Colombia lost to Argentina, started over an hour late after police initiated a lockdown that left hundreds of fans stuck outside Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium. Videos on social media showed security scuffling with fans attempting to breach the gates.

Florida-based news outlet Local10 cited a police department report that said the two had been accused of fighting security guards after the match ended.

The Colombian soccer federation declined to comment.

(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobbe, Luis Jaime Acosta and Kylie Madry, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)