Jaminton Campaz missed a chance in extra time. That was enough for some people to threaten his life.
The Colombian winger, who plays his club football at Rosario Central in Argentina, is staying in the United States rather than flying home with his teammates after Colombia's 2026 World Cup campaign ended in a Round of 16 defeat to Switzerland on Tuesday. The reason is simple: he and his family have been receiving death threats.
"Football is also made up of difficult moments," Campaz wrote after the threats surfaced. "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."
The Colombian federation responds
The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) didn't sit on the issue. Their statement was direct and unusually forceful — calling on the Attorney General's Office to "identify, prosecute, and punish those responsible" — and made clear that no player should face intimidation for representing their country in a sporting competition.
"Football should be a space for unity, respect, and hope, never a stage for hatred, intimidation, or violence," the federation wrote. Strong words. Now comes the part where someone actually has to be held accountable.
This isn't the first time a Latin American footballer has been forced to weigh personal safety against a flight home after a tournament exit. The pressure placed on players in these competitions goes far beyond what any post-match analysis can justify. A missed chance in extra time of a knockout match. That's football. It happens to the best in the world.
Campaz chose to stay. His family is with him. And back in Colombia, the federation is asking prosecutors to move quickly on the threats — which, given how rarely these cases result in prosecution, is the part that actually needs watching.
