Colombia

Page by: Dominic Elzner. Apr 2016.

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“Los Cafeteros”

Current FIFA Ranking: 4

Copa America Record: Won in 2001; Seven top-four finishes

Manager: José Pékerman

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Colombia comes into the Copa America as the clear favorites to emerge victorious from Group A. They are the highest ranked nation in the group—coming in at fourth in the world, only behind first-ranked Argentina and third-ranked Chile. However, this ranking gave them no help, as Colombia is placed in the “group of death,” with three teams ranked in the top 30 in the world. However, “Los Cafeteros” are confident. They have defeated Peru—another team in the Copa America—and played third-ranked Chile to a draw on November 12, 2015.

National Narrative

For as long as it has been independent, Colombia’s history has been marked by periods of violence, and this violence has become the normal international perception of the country. Most people struggle to forget the 1994 World Cup. Colombia wanted to make a statement about their soccer prowess, but instead, they reinforced the perception and stereotype of violence in Colombia.

In 1994, Colombia soccer was at great heights. After a 5-0 victory over an Argentina team that had not lost in 30 games, the team earned a number one seed in the World Cup. Many felt that the team would advance out of their group. After a disappointing opening loss to Romania, that became more difficult. After the loss, manager Francisco Maturana and players received death threats.

The team felt added pressure as they went on to play their match against the United States. And in one of the most famous moments in World Cup history, the pressure got to Colombia. In the 35th minute, fan favorite Andres Escobar scored an own goal in one of the most unlikely plays you would ever see. They would go on to lose to the United States, and were eliminated from the World Cup after their next match.

Just one week after the elimination, disaster struck. Andres Escobar—the player that scored the own goal—was murdered outside of a club. His wife stated that as he was shot, the murderer yelled “Goooooal!”, mimicking the own goal that he scored. Other witness said the shooter yelled “Thanks for the own goal, you son of a bitch.” It appeared that he was murdered for the own goal. Soccer and violence were correlated again in Colombia.

That was 1994. Now, over 20 years later, the Colombian national team is still trying to remove that stigma from their team, and has helped improve the state of Colombia. Since 2002, Colombia has regained territories lost to cartels and rebels, and in 2013, only 6% of the country is under threat from terrorist groups. However, there is still work to be done, as Colombia is still not a safe place to travel thatnks to cartels and drug lords.

However, in this tournament, this team looks to prove that the past is just the past, and they are a new, safer, better team moving forward. Colombia is on a mission to overcome its past, and with a fourth-ranked soccer team, they look to do just that.

Players to Watch

James Rodriguez

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  • Club: Real Madrid
  • National Caps: 42
  • Goals 14

In 2013, James Rodriguez became a household name. However, this wasn’t for his play. Instead, it was thanks to his transfer fee—AS Monaco bought Rodriguez from FC Porto for $61.6 million. The transfer paid off, as Rodriguez had led the league in assists and AS Monaco finished second in the Ligue 1, one year after being promoted from the second division. Just a year later, Real Madrid bought Rodriquez for an even larger sum—$114 million. The 2014 World Cup was a showcase of Rodriguez’s talent. Until the quarterfinals, he scored six goals in total—one each match—to go along with two assists. He also won the golden boot trophy, given to the highest scoring player in the World Cup.

Juan Cuadrado

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  • Club: Juventus
  • National Caps: 49
  • Goals: 5

After being sent out on loan to Juventus, Cuadrado has done great. In 26 matches—14 as a starter— he has scored four goals and assisted 5 times. Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta had nothing but good thins to say about Cuadrado, saying “For the squad and his tactical flexibility we really need him… We are happy about his performances. We will try to hold onto him for the next campaign.” Colombia hopes thay he can keep this up as he did during the World Cup in 2014, when he scored one goal and had four assists in Colombia’s five matches.

How to cite this page: “Colombia”, Written by Dominic Elzner(2016). Copa America Centenario 2016 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/copa-america-centenario-2016-guide/copa-america-centenario-2016-team-guide/colombia/ (accessed on (date)). 

Works Cited

Escobar, Daniel M. “James Rodriguez | Profile.” RSS. N.p., 02 July 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://colombiareports.com/profile-james-rodriguez/>.

ESPN Staff. “Juventus Want Juan Cuadrado to Sign from Chelsea on Permanent Deal.” ESPNFC.com. N.p., 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://www.espnfc.us/story/2795506/juventus-want-juan-cuadrado-to-sign-from-chelsea-permanently>.

Ginn, Courtney. “Colombia.” Soccer Politics The Politics of Football. N.p., 12 Dec. 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/research-projects/politics-and-sport-in-latin-america/columbia/>.

“James Rodriguez.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Rodr%C3%ADguez#2014_World_Cup>.

“Juan Cuadrado.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Cuadrado>.

Shanafelt, Colby. “Colombia.” Soccer Politics The Politics of Football. N.p., 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <https://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/world-cup-2014/stories-from-the-2014-qualifiers/colombia/>.