Two YouTubers arrested after allegedly sneaking past security at Colombia-Portugal World Cup game: cops
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Two YouTubers face five years in prison after they allegedly snuck past several layers of security at the Colombia-Portugal World Cup game in Miami, according to cops.
Argentine content creators Beni Marmol, 20, and Pato Perrotta, 26, were among 16 people nabbed at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Saturday, during the final Group K bout.
Marmol and Perrotta – who both have hundreds of thousands of followers on YouTube – “bypass[ed] three layers of security” using expired credentials, Miami-Dade Sheriffs told WPLG.
When quizzed, Marmol reportedly told cops he was an influencer “trying to stream the game.”
Meanwhile, Perrotta said he was “hired by a media company to review the event and has credentials but they were from a previous event,” according to his arrest report.
Both are facing felonies of illegally interfering with a sporting event – an offense which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
Walter Costabel, the influencer’s manager, has since spoken out, saying “the guys are fine” and “they’re not being deported,” Argentine outlet Todo Noticias reported.
“They simply cannot be near the stadiums where the World Cup matches are being played,” he said.
Perrotta and Marmol’s content ranges from lavish shopping sprees to taking on 24-hour challenges. Perrotta has more than 500,000 subscribers and Marmol more than 270,000.
Florida officials have cracked down on trespassing sports fans in light of the 2024 Copa America final, which saw 27 people arrested and 55 people ejected.
It’s now a third-degree felony to enter ticketed events of more than 5,000 people without authorization.
A sold-out crowd of 64,478 attended the game – and there were more than five million ticket requests. Cops made 17 ejections at the game.
Most fans spent $1,000 or more for a ticket. Fans scrambled to get a ticket to see Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, grace the field for potentially one of the last times on the international stage
But demand for tickets couldn’t match the supply. The lowest get-in prices hovered around $3,500 early Saturday, with prices ranging from $2,676 to $22,084 on StubHub on Friday.
Despite the hype, the game ended 0-0, meaning Colombia finished ahead of Portugal in Group K.
Portugal will now face Croatia in the round of 32 in Toronto on Thursday, with Colombia competing against Ghana in Kansas City Friday.