Colombian World Cup Star Jáminton Campaz Goes Into Hiding After Missing Chance Vs Switzerland

ByMF Jones

We all know the south Americans take their football very seriously, but this is just crazy.

Colombian footballer Jáminton Campaz refuses to return home after receiving death threats over the costly miss that helped knock Colombia out of the World Cup.

Colombia was playing Switzerland in the Round of 16 and late into extra time, in the 115th minute, with the score at 0-0, Campaz had a golden chance to score the winner…

Point blank, just him vs the goalkeeper, he completely fluffed his lines…

Probably not as easy as it looks, but in the 115th minute of extra time in a World Cup knockout game, you’ve got to be putting that away. From there, the game went to penalties and Switzerland advanced, and Jáminton Campaz became public enemy #1 in his own country.

A few mean Tweets? Abuse in his DM’s? Revocation of his citizenship? Nope – actual death threats that have left the man unwilling to return to his home country.

When the rest of the national team boarded a plane in Vancouver to return home, he refused to join them. Instead, he posted this message on Instagram (translated from Spanish)…

“My Colombia, please let us never lose sight of respect. We may hold different views or feel frustration and sadness, but no passion justifies hatred or living in fear.

“Since I was a child, I dreamed of defending Colombia’s colours, hearing the anthem, representing millions of people, and scoring a goal in a World Cup. Today, I can only thank God for allowing me to fulfill that dream. These are memories I will carry with me forever.

“I want to sincerely thank everyone who stood by us during this World Cup –  those who believed in us, cheered us on until the very last minute, and never lost faith. Thanks also to my family, who have been my strength at every step and have been by my side during both the happiest and the most difficult moments.”

“To the entire country, I can only say that I share the pain of this elimination. We, too, dreamed of advancing further, and I know the sadness we feel today as Colombians.

“I deeply regret not being able to bring you the joy we all hoped for, but I want you to know that there was never a lack of dedication, commitment, or love for this jersey. I gave everything I had on the pitch, and I would do it a thousand times over for my country.”

Since posting that, he’s gone off-grid. Nobody knows if he’s still in Vancouver, if he’s flown to Argentina where he plays professionally, or whether he’s had a face transplant and fled to Timbuktu. One thing is for sure: he isn’t in Colombia because he’s worried the national team fans over there will literally kill him.

He isn’t just being paranoid, either. in the 1994 World Cup, Colombia’s Andrés Escobar scored an own goal vs the U.S., which led to Colombia losing 2-1. 5 days later, back in Colombia, Andrés Escobar was shot dead outside a nightclub.

And so you can’t really blame Jáminton Campaz for playing it safe on this occassion. Best to keep far away from Colombia until this all dies down a little bit. Probably a good idea to turn it into a worldwide news story also where everyone can agree how f–ked up it is that this man is fearing for his life over a football game. Hopefully it won’t be too long before the good people of Colombia forgive him/spare his life.

For the England fan who almost came to blows with an annoying American streamer during the England/Norway game, click HERE.

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