Ramón Calderón was held in police custody at a New York airport
after his name was mistaken for a person who is on the security
services' list of suspicious people.
The Real Madrid president was visiting the United States to with
wife when he was stopped and asked to accompany the police after
being picked up at JFK Airport.
Calderón is reported to have been on his way to visit his daughter,
according to Punt Radio, when he was stopped and taken to a holding
room.
An administrative error has been blamed for the mix-up, but
Calderón still had to spend three hours in custody while the
authorities checked out his identity.
The Spanish Minister of the Interior, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, who
is a good friend of the Madrid supremo's wife and a big fan of the
club, was called into help sort out the mix-up.
Everything was cleared up after agents were able to prove that his
surname matched a person registered as 'suspicious' by the
police.
When that had happened data confirming Calderón's innocence,
including photos, were sent from the nearest consulate and he was
allowed to go free.
