{"id":794524,"date":"2026-07-12T00:57:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T00:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/794524\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T00:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T00:57:14","slug":"fifa-world-cup-2026-news-colombias-jaminton-campaz-goes-into-hiding-pleads-for-life-after-costly-miss-echoes-of-andres-escobar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/794524\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA World Cup 2026 news: Colombia\u2019s Jaminton Campaz goes into hiding, pleads for life after costly miss, echoes of Andr\u00e9s Escobar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colombian forward J\u00e1minton Campaz is in hiding after receiving death threats over a missed goal shot that helped knock his team out of the World Cup \u2014 refusing to fly home with his teammates and going completely off the grid.<\/p>\n

The threats \u2014 a chilling echo of the murder of a Colombian player more than three decades ago \u2014 against Campaz, 26, began pouring in after he kicked an open shot over the crossbar in extra time during Colombia\u2019s round of 16 match against Switzerland on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The game ended scoreless after extra time before Switzerland won the penalty shootout 4-3, ending Colombia\u2019s World Cup run in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

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Colombia’s Jaminton Campaz reacts after losing to Switzerland during a penalty shootout in the World Cup round of 16.Source: AP<\/p>\n

Campaz took to Instagram to plead for calm \u2014 and for his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Colombia, please let us never lose sight of respect,\u201d the 26-year-old football wrote in Spanish on Instagram on Thursday. \u201cWe may hold different views or feel frustration and sadness, but no passion justifies hatred or living in fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I was a child, I dreamed of defending Colombia\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to sincerely thank everyone who stood by us during this World Cup \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

ENGLAND vs NORWAY: All the latest here<\/a><\/p>\n

Colombia’s Jaminton Campaz (21) misses a shot on goal as Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel (1) defends during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Gregory Bull)Source: AP<\/p>\n

Campaz was supposed to board a flight Wednesday from Vancouver to Bogot\u00e1 with teammates Davinson S\u00e1nchez, James Rodr\u00edguez and Juan Fernando Quintero, according to online news site Infobae.<\/p>\n

He never got on the plane.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unknown if Campaz remains in the US or flew to instead to Argentina \u2014 where he plays for Primera Divisi\u00f3n Club Rosario Central.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1994, Colombian defender Andr\u00e9s Escobar was shot dead in Medell\u00edn just days after scoring an own goal that contributed to the team\u2019s elimination from the World Cup in the US.<\/p>\n

Colombia Soccer Federation condemned the threats and called on the Attorney General\u2019s office to open an investigation.<\/p>\n

USA forward Eric Wynalda (behind ) trips over Colombia defender Andres Escobar during the World Cup soccer championship Group A first ro\ufffdnd match June 22 1994Source: AP<\/p>\n

\u201cFootball must be a space for unity, respect, and hope \u2014 never a stage for hatred, intimidation, or violence,\u201d it said. \u201cTherefore, the Federation calls upon all Colombians to ensure that the differences inherent in sports competition never translate into threats or acts of aggression against those who dedicate their lives to representing the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on New York Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Colombian forward J\u00e1minton Campaz is in hiding after receiving death threats over a missed goal shot that helped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":794525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-794524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/794525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}