Jaminton Campaz, the Colombian national team winger, directed a message to the fans after exiting the 2026 World Cup, confirming that representing his country's national team was a dream he lived for since his childhood, and emphasizing that the players gave everything they had despite the bitterness of the elimination.
Jaminton Campaz
Club: Colombia
The Colombian national team bid farewell to the World Cup from the round of 16 after the defeat against Switzerland on penalties.
Jaminton said via his official Instagram account: "Since my childhood, I dreamed of defending the colors of Colombia, hearing the national anthem, representing millions of Colombians, and scoring a goal in the World Cup".
He continued, "Today, I can only thank God for granting me the opportunity to achieve this dream, and these are memories I will carry with me forever".
He added, "I thank from the depths of my heart everyone who stood by us during the World Cup, and everyone who believed in us and encouraged us until the last moment and did not lose confidence in us".
He continued, "I apologize that we were not able to make you happy as we had hoped, but I confirm that commitment, sacrifice, and love for this jersey were never absent".
He concluded his speech, "Oh Colombia, I hope we never lose respect between us, we may differ in opinions or feel frustrated and sad, but there is no passion that justifies hatred or that someone lives in fear".
Colombian press reports revealed that Jaminton Campaz did not return to his country with the national team delegation after the 2026 World Cup, due to threats targeting him and his family via social media.
According to journalist Camilo Pinto from Caracol Radio, Campaz received direct threats after Colombia's exit from the round of 16 against Switzerland, which prompted him not to take the Vancouver to Bogota flight with the rest of the delegation, fearing the execution of those threats.
The report indicated that Campaz was one of Colombia's most prominent players in the tournament, but his missed one-on-one in the 114th minute against Switzerland ignited a wave of hostile messages, which later escalated to death threats.
Campaz closed the comments on his Instagram account to limit the offensive messages, before reactivating them hours later, at a time when those close to him are considering security measures, while the Colombian Football Federation is closely following the developments of the case.
