Ramón Jesurún accused of beating a security guard at South American Cup The final was canceled on Monday, more than a month after the president of the Colombian football federation and his son arrested at game where hundreds of fans crowded into Hard Rock Stadium.
Michael Band, an attorney for Jesurún, 71, said prosecutors decided to drop the aggravated assault charges after carefully reviewing the evidence. Charges remain against Jesurún’s son, Ramon Jesurún Jr., who is scheduled to go on trial in November.
“I appreciate the state attorney general looking into this,” said Band, who represents both men. “Hopefully we can reach a settlement agreement” for the younger Jesurún, he added.
Jesurún and his son both face three counts of felony assault on an official after being accused of fighting with stadium security guards after Argentina defeated Colombia in the Copa final on July 14.
The arrest affidavit said both men attempted to enter the stadium through the tunnel where media were gathered after the game. They got into a verbal altercation with stadium security, who stopped them after being instructed not to let visitors in while players were entering or exiting the stadium at the same time.
The verbal altercation eventually turned violent when a guard placed an “open palm” on Jesurún Jr.’s chest to “lead him back,” and the younger Jesurún grabbed the guard “by the neck” and pulled him to the ground before delivering “two impact punches” to the guard, the arrest report said.
Video evidence does not show the elder Jesurún having any physical contact with stadium security or any other personnel during the melee, Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Charles Heinemann wrote in a memo closing the case.
Heinemann wrote that one of the security guards involved told police that Jesurún had beaten him but failed to show up for pre-trial meetings scheduled by the state and “did not return our phone calls or emails.”
Heinemann wrote that without “a sworn statement from the defense and clarification of his role in the incident, the state would not be able to proceed with any charges.”
Chaos broke out before the Copa América final as a crowd of fans — some without tickets — forced their way into Hard Rock Stadium. The crowd jumped over security barriers and ran inside, passing police and stadium staff.
Jesurún has been president of the Colombian Football Federation since 2015 and is vice-president of CONMEBOL, the South American football governing body responsible for organizing the Copa América tournament.
Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, where the event took place American Football‘S DolphinIt will host seven matches of the 2026 World Cup, including a quarter-final and the third-place match.
According to The Associated Press.
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