Campaz threatened after Colombia’s World Cup shootout loss
Colombia’s football federation condemned threats against Jaminton Campaz after the team’s round-of-16 exit to Switzerland.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Colombia’s football federation said Jaminton Campaz has received death threats after the national team was knocked out of the World Cup. The case has drawn concern because Colombian football has a painful history of violence tied to World Cup disappointment.
The Colombian Football Federation, known as the FCF, condemned the threats in a statement Friday, according to The Associated Press. It said no player or person close to a player should face intimidation for representing Colombia in competition.
“No athlete, nor any member of their inner circle, should be subjected to intimidation for representing their country in a sporting arena,” the federation said, according to AP.
Missed chance in extra time
Colombia went out Tuesday in the round of 16 after losing to Switzerland on penalties, AP reported. Campaz, who plays for Rosario Central in Argentina, had a late scoring chance in extra time, but his attempt went wide.
AP reported that Campaz later converted his kick in the penalty shootout. Colombia still lost the shootout, ending its tournament.
On Instagram, Campaz posted an image of himself covering his face in frustration and asked for respect, according to AP. He wrote that football includes difficult moments and said frustration or sadness should not become hatred or fear.
“My Colombia, please let us never lose sight of respect,” Campaz wrote, according to AP. “We may think differently or feel frustration and sadness, but no passion justifies hatred or living in fear.”
Federation asks for investigation
The FCF said it wants Colombia’s attorney general’s office to move quickly to investigate the threats and identify those responsible, AP reported. The federation also called on supporters to keep sporting anger from turning into violence outside the game.
“Football must be a space for unity, respect, and hope — never a setting for hatred, intimidation or violence,” the federation said, according to AP.
The threats have been compared with one of the darkest episodes in Colombian sports history. AP noted that defender Andres Escobar was killed in Medellin after the 1994 World Cup, where he had scored an own goal in Colombia’s 2-1 loss to the United States.
Escobar was murdered days after Colombia returned home from that tournament, AP reported. The federation’s statement on Campaz framed the current threats as unacceptable intimidation against a player who had represented his country on the world stage.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.