What’s the story?
Real Madrid superstar James Rodriguez has found himself in the midst of a controversy after allegedly showing his middle finger to the press out of the window of Colombian Football Federation’s headquarters in Bogota.
The 25-year-old was clicked by AFP (Agence France-Presse) photographer Luis Acosta and it happened in the aftermath of Colombia’s unimpressive 1-0 win over Bolivia, which Los Cafeteros won courtesy of Rodriguez’s late spot-kick.
Elaborating on the incident, journalist Gabriel Meluk told Colombian daily El Tiempo (h/t as.com): "[Acosta] told me that there were three agency photographers and two reporters from WIN Sports there at the time. Behind them were the rest of the press doing interviews with the players. Then, from the second floor of the hotel where the gymnasium is, James appeared and aimed a “pistol” in our direction.”
In case you didn’t know...
Colombia are currently in 4th place in the South American World Cup 2018 qualifier standings with 21 points under their belt and are only a point above 5th placed Ecuador – who they face later tonight – and reigning Copa America champions Chile – who are also on 20 points.
Only the top 4 placed teams earn automatic qualification for the grand finale in Russia while the 5th placed team will have to earn their way through a playoff. Jose Pekerman’s side were lucky to earn the 3 points in their last match and have attracted criticism from the fans and the media.
Also Read: Reports: Lionel Messi rates Gareth Bale better than Cristiano Ronaldo
The heart of the matter
Colombia have only 2 wins out of their last 6 qualifying games, with the victories coming over Bolivia and Paraguay. Pekerman’s side have succumbed to defeats against Argentina and Brazil while they have drawn their games against Chile and Uruguay.
While the results have been less than impressive, what has been even more concerning are the performances of Los Cafeteros and this has led to severe criticism from the media aimed towards the manager and the team. Rodriguez’s gesture could be aimed towards the press, however, there is no concrete evidence as to whom or what it was aimed for and a statement from Colombian Football Federation or Rodriguez is awaited.
What's next?
Jose Pekerman and his side need to put these controversies behind them and focus on the task at hand – to come up with their A game in tonight’s encounter against Ecuador. A win tonight for them can help widen the gap between Los Cafeteros and the 5th placed team and should other results go in their favour they can consolidate their standing at 4th position.
Author’s Take
The gesture by James Rodriguez is in poor taste and should attract some form of punishment for the Real Madrid man. Professional footballers, especially of the fame and popularity of someone like Rodriguez, are looked up to by youngsters around the world.
