After Colombia's Round of 16 elimination to Switzerland on penalties in Vancouver on Tuesday, July 7, midfielder Jaminton Campaz received death threats from fans after missing a clear chance during extra time.
The threats have revived memories of one of the darkest chapters in Colombian football history. At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, defender Andrés Escobar scored an own goal in a 2-1 defeat to the hosts and was murdered in Medellín days after Colombia's elimination.
"No athlete, nor any member of their inner circle, should be subjected to intimidation for representing their country in a sporting arena," the Colombian Football Federation (FCF) said in a statement.
The federation urged Colombia's Attorney General's Office to fast-track investigations to identify those behind the threats.
"Football must be a space for unity, respect and hope—never a setting for hatred, intimidation or violence," the FCF added, calling on supporters not to let sporting disappointment turn into real-world aggression.
According to Al Jazeera, Campaz's social media accounts were flooded with abusive messages and death threats after the match. He later restricted comments on his accounts and, as a precaution, did not return to Colombia on the same flight as his teammates.
"Football is also made up of difficult moments. My Colombia, please let us never lose sight of respect. We may think differently or feel frustration and sadness, but no passion justifies hatred or living in fear," Campaz wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of himself covering his face in frustration.
Colombia's World Cup campaign ended in a penalty shootout defeat to Switzerland after Campaz, who plays for Argentine club Rosario Central, missed a crucial opportunity in extra time before the match went to penalties.