A Colombian World Cup player is reportedly in hiding after receiving death threats over a missed crucial shot that contributed to the team’s defeat in the round of 16 against Switzerland.
According to the New York Post, forward Jáminton Campaz refused to fly home with his teammates from Vancouver, Canada, and went “completely off the grid.”
The incident is an eerie reminder of what happened to a Colombian player after the 1994 World Cup.
Colombian World Cup player goes into hiding after death threats over costly miss https://t.co/lvQMj9yQej pic.twitter.com/5Lo7i2Bhtx
— New York Post (@nypost) July 11, 2026
More from the New York Post:
The threats — a chilling echo of the murder of a Colombian player more than three decades ago — against Campaz, 26, began pouring in after he kicked an open shot over the crossbar in extra time during Colombia’s round of 16 match against Switzerland on Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENTThe game ended scoreless after extra time before Switzerland won the penalty shootout 4-3, ending Colombia’s World Cup run in Vancouver.
Campaz took to Instagram to plead for calm — and for his life.
“My Colombia, please let us never lose sight of respect,” the 26-year-old football wrote in Spanish on Instagram on Thursday. “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 colors, 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.”
Campaz was supposed to board a flight from Vancouver to Bogotá with several of his teammates, but he never got on the plane.
It’s unknown if he remained in Canada or the United States, or if he flew to Argentina, where he plays for Primera División Club Rosario Central.
The Colombian Football Federation condemned the death threats against Campaz.
“No athlete, nor any member of their camp, should be subjected to intimidation for representing their country in a sporting context,” the federation said, according to Fox News.
“The executive committee of the Colombian Football Federation expresses its full solidarity with and support for Jaminton Campaz, his family, all the players in the Colombia national team and the delegation as a whole. It also calls on the Attorney General’s Office to carry out, as swiftly as possible, the necessary investigations to identify, prosecute and punish those responsible for these acts,” it continued.
“Football must be a space for unity, respect, and hope — never a setting for hatred, intimidation or violence,” the federation said, calling on fans to ensure sporting disappointments never translate into real-world aggression,” it added.
Colombian footballer Jáminton Campaz has gone into hiding after receiving death threats over a costly miss that helped knock his team out of the 2026 World Cup.
The alarming episode echoes the 1994 murder of Andrés Escobar, who was shot dead in Medellín days after scoring an… pic.twitter.com/thxw0CGw7P
— Omwamba 🇰🇪 (@omwambaKE) July 12, 2026
Yahoo Sports noted:
There’s an infamous incident that took place in 1994 that also involved Colombia’s elimination at the World Cup. In Colombia’s game against the United States, defender Andres Escobar scored an own goal that contributed to the loss and the country’s elimination from the tournament.
Five days later, Escobar was shot and killed. Through the years there has been evidence that his killing was directly related to that now-infamous own goal.
