Two Argentinian YouTubers are facing up to five years in prison after being arrested at a FIFA World Cup match in Miami for allegedly using expired credentials to bypass security. Beni Marmol and Pato Perrotta who together have roughly 750,000 YouTube subscribers, were among 16 people arrested during the Colombia-Portugal game at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
The duo had built their audience through challenge-based content, including videos where they attempt to eat outrageous amounts of food or live on a dollar a day. Attending as many World Cup games as possible in Miami appeared to be their latest project, and they had been documenting the trip for members-only content on their channel.
“We’re going to be doing these vlogs for members. We’re going to try to go to all the games that are played here in Miami, and well, if we have the chance to go to another game that is played somewhere else, we’re going to go to,” they said in one of their videos.
Their troubles reportedly began during an earlier Uruguay match, where they entered through media doors and attempted to access field areas and kitchens, getting turned away from both.
They also noted difficulties with their cameraman at entry: “We had a problem at the door, and unfortunately they didn’t let the cameraman in. We’ll try to fix it for the next matches, but hey, we’re here in the first one, Uruguay against Saudi Arabia.”
By the time the Colombia-Portugal game came around, they allegedly tried to use credentials from the Uruguay match to get in. According to police, Marmol told officers he was an influencer attempting to broadcast the game live, while Perrotta claimed he had been hired by a media company to review the event, though his credentials were from a previous event.
Both were charged with interfering with a sporting or entertainment event, a charge Florida has actively pursued since the 2024 Copa America final, which saw 27 arrests and 55 ejections from the venue. A Miami-Dade judge found probable cause for both YouTubers and set bond at $2,500 each. They have since posted bail.
Following their release, the pair entered not guilty pleas and requested jury trials. Based on posts attributed to a lawyer who reportedly reached out to them, they appear to expect full exoneration and compensation for their arrest, though the same lawyer clarified that no formal legal case has been established.
“We are about to tell the worst anecdote we have ever experienced in our lives and I am not exaggerating. And also, when we got out of this whole deal, we found out that they are telling thousands and thousands of lies,” Marmol said in a post-release video.
With no trial date set and their own vlog footage potentially working against them, the two YouTubers now face a deeply uncertain road ahead, along with diminished prospects for returning to the United States in the future.
