in short:
Colombian Football Federation president Ramon Jesullan and his son were among 27 people arrested during the Copa America final.
According to arrest records, both men attempted to enter the field through the tunnel where reporters were gathered after the game.
The argument between the couple and the security guard eventually escalated into violence, with Jesrun's son allegedly grabbing the guard around the throat and punching him twice.
Police said the president of the Colombian Football Federation and his son were among 27 people arrested over crowd control incidents at the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia.
Ramon Jesuran and his son, Ramon Jamil Jesuran, were detained and charged after the incident at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami-Dade Police Detective Andre Martin told The Associated Press.
Both men are charged with three counts of felony assault on an umpire after allegedly fighting with multiple stadium security guards.
According to arrest records, both men attempted to enter the field through the tunnel where reporters were gathered after the game.
They were stopped by security guards who, according to the police report, became “infuriated” by the delay.
The report said the argument eventually escalated into violence when the guard “guided” Ramon Jamil Jesulun to move “back” by placing “the palm of his hand” on his chest, after which the younger Jesulun grabbed the guard “by the neck,” pulled him to the ground and delivered “two impact punches” to the guard.
Both men were taken into custody just after midnight.
The Colombian Football Federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Ramon Jesullan, 71, has been president of the Colombian Football Federation since 2015 and is also vice-president of CONMEBOL, the South American football governing body that organises the Copa America tournament.
The organization said in a statement Monday that it regretted that numerous fans entered the stadium without tickets and “tainted” the event.
The game was postponed for more than an hour as officials tried to control the situation, eventually deciding to allow some fans to enter without going through security.
“In this situation, CONMEBOL will abide by the decision of the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, in accordance with its contractual responsibilities regarding security operations,” the organisation said.
“In addition to the preparations set out in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities procedures that have been proven in events of this magnitude, but these were not taken into account.”
Hard Rock Stadium, which will host matches in the 2026 World Cup, said security is a shared responsibility between stadium officials, the organization, CONCACAF (the governing body for soccer in North, Central America and the Caribbean) and local police.
A stadium spokesman said in a statement that there were “more than double the number of people” at the venue on Sunday than is normally used for an event.
Miami-Dade Police said more than 800 officers attended the game, and in addition to the arrests, 55 people were ejected.
Fans were upset and the stadium was vandalized.
Scenes of chaos unfolded just hours before the final between the two South American nations was scheduled to start at 8pm local time.
Fans stormed into the venue, jumped security barriers and ran past police and stadium staff, some in hysterical conditions, searching for those who had arrived with them.
The venue appears to have sustained extensive damage as a result, with videos and images posted to social media showing escalator handrails inside the stadium shattered into pieces, with shoes, soft drink cans, reading glasses and clothing all left behind.
The fence at the checkpoint at the southwest entrance to the stadium buckled as thousands of people, including crying children, pushed against it.
According to a statement from Hard Rock Stadium, stadium officials contacted tournament organizers at approximately 8:00 p.m. local time and made the decision to open the gates to both ticketed and non-ticketed fans. Ticketed fans had crowded the entrances due to fears of being stampeded or seriously injured. The gates were then closed, leaving many ticketed fans stranded outside.
The stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, home of the NFL's Dolphins, is set to host seven World Cup games in 2026, including the quarterfinals and third-place play-off.
FIFA organises the World Cup and is a separate organisation from CONMEBOL. FIFA is the international federation that oversees more than 200 member associations that fall under regional bodies like CONMEBOL.
Ramon Jesuran is also a member of the FIFA Council.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Monday about the crowd control issue and how to prevent similar problems in 2026.
Lawyer says umpires should have learned from England v Italy chaos
Attorney Steve Adelman, a crowd-control expert and vice president of the Coalition for Event Safety, said Hard Rock organizers failed to understand that Sunday's game would be packed with passionate fans desperate to see their teams, some of whom would try to force their way inside.
“Fans of rival South American countries playing against each other couldn't be more passionate,” he said.
Adelman said organisers should have learned from the 2021 European Championship final at London's Wembley Stadium, where ticket-less England fans broke into the stadium to watch the match against Italy.
The melee left 19 police officers injured and 53 people arrested.
In 1989, 97 people were killed when fans stormed into the stadium at a major English match.
“Unfortunately, this type of aggressive fan behaviour has become more prevalent at international football matches,” Adelman said.
“This behaviour was undesirable and unacceptable, but entirely predictable. They should have planned for the crowd that could actually show up, not the crowd they hoped would show up.”
AP
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