The image is extremely shocking, delicate and serious for a public figure: handcuffed and wearing an orange jumpsuit, he hears the charges against him in a United States court, accused of assaulting a security officer. A week ago, the president of the Colombian Football Federation, Ramon Jesurun, He was not present at the Copa América awards ceremony, the top soccer tournament in the region and in which the Colombian national team just played the final, because the Miami Police arrested him and his son for a fight with security who did not let him and his large family enter the area where the trophies and medals were awarded.
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What should have ended as a day of pride for national football due to the national team’s second-place finish ended in shame, to the point that the team arrived in the country in silence, without any kind of recognition, as if hidden. The Federation, with its president under arrest at the time, cancelled any kind of public event for the national team and called off the team early. Tenacious. Serious. All this happened just eight days ago, but in this country where one scandal is surpassed by another, it seems like it was years ago. What would happen if a minister of state or the president of the Federation of Coffee Growers, to give an example, were the one handcuffed, in orange overalls in a Miami court and released after paying bail?
Jeshurun, a serious matter
In white silver, Jesurún is the prime minister of Colombian football. Of that magnitude. The matter is not at all minor or a simple altercation with a security guard, as they wanted to present it. On the contrary: this alone is enough to legitimately discuss and demand Jesurún’s permanence in office, independent of the sanctions already imposed on him, other directors and the Federation by the SIC, for the resale of tickets in the qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and the complaint filed with the Prosecutor’s Office by Jorge Perdomo, former president of Dimayor, who said he had heard that Luis Bedoya, then president of the Federation, Jesurún himself, at that time vice president, and Álvaro González, who was and is vice president, would have each received one billion pesos for the operation.
The fight in Miami alone is so serious – not counting the arrest and the photo of him handcuffed and in orange – that it could well be classified under the Disciplinary Code of CONMEBOL and the Disciplinary Code of the Colombian Football Federation: both even contemplate permanent withdrawal from football, among other possible sanctions such as warnings, suspensions and fines.
Jeshurun, in question
Forms are essential in this and other positions, as simple and basic as that. Jesurún, recognized as a dandy of Barranquilla’s high society, is today in question, without the need to fall into easy moralistic hysteria: it is well known that, in addition, football managers can have a worse image than congressmen. A very high point.
I sought out Jesurún to explain in an interview his reasons behind the scandal. He told me that his lawyers had advised him not to testify. I spoke to one of his legal advisors: he assured me that they would prove with videos that he had not assaulted anyone, that “they are absolutely calm.”
In the only video of the incident that has circulated on social media so far, from Fox Sports, all that can be seen is President Jesurún being pushed out of the fight. An intelligent and cool-headed guy did it. That’s for sure.
Let’s suppose that Jesurún comes out of this judicial process unscathed. Here surely nothing will happen to him. The 36 teams of Dimayor (36 votes) expressed their support.
And Jesurún is a man with power. You cannot imagine the number of officials, ex-officials, public figures and ex-figures, ex-footballers, footballers and journalists who do not cover sports news who decided not to participate in the broad debate we published about Jesurún’s continuity in office after his scandal and his photo in handcuffs and orange overalls, a serious fact and one for which it is legitimate to demand and debate whether he should continue in office.
Meluk tells him
Gabriel Meluk
Sports Editor
@MelukLeCuenta
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