BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) 鈥� national soccer jersey 鈥� a symbol of unity and pride as the team heads to the 鈥� has become embroiled in the country鈥檚 , sparking debate over whether the yellow shirt should be used at political rallies.
Regularly worn at matches, on national holidays and other special occasions, the bright yellow jersey is now frequently worn at political rallies by supporters of . The bombastic lawyer who amassed the most votes in the first round of the election Sunday often dons the jersey himself as he speaks to his supporters from a stage, where he鈥檚 usually protected by suited bodyguards and bulletproof glass.
Sen. Iv谩n Cepeda, the candidate for 颁辞濒辞尘产颈补鈥檚 ruling party and an ally of President , this week slammed his rival鈥檚 choice of apparel, accusing him of stealing a national symbol.
In a message on social platform X Monday, Cepeda wrote that using the national team鈥檚 jersey at political rallies was an 鈥渙pportunistic act鈥� whose legality should be examined.
鈥淭he national (soccer) team belongs to all of us,鈥� said Cepeda, who is representing Petro鈥檚 party, the Historical Pact, and came in second place during the first round of voting Sunday. The runoff vote will be held June 21. 鈥淪top stealing things that belong to the entire nation.鈥�
Cepeda, who shows up at campaign rallies wearing dark cardigans and mandarin-collared white shirts, this week asked his supporters to refrain from wearing 颁辞濒辞尘产颈补鈥檚 jersey or any other national symbols at his rallies.
鈥淟et鈥檚 run a clean, transparent campaign,鈥� Cepeda said.
De la Espriella, a conservative celebrity lawyer who calls himself 鈥渢he tiger鈥� has not replied to Cepeda鈥檚 comments on the use of jerseys. But members of his campaign are now encouraging supporters to use them as much as possible 鈥� as a way to defy Cepeda and Petro鈥檚 government.
鈥淭his jersey, besides showing support for our players, now also represents the defense of the freedoms that Cepeda wants to take away from us,鈥� Daniel Brice帽o, a congressman who supports de la Espriella, said in a video.
Echoes of Brazil
The tug-of-war over 颁辞濒辞尘产颈补鈥檚 national jersey echoes recent developments in Brazil, where the country鈥檚 famous gold and green jersey was appropriated by supporters of at the end of last decade.
Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest for plotting a coup after he lost Brazil鈥檚 2022 election, promoted the use of the Brazilian jersey during his rallies and urged his supporters to wear it to polling stations on voting days.
During his second term in office, has sought to reclaim the jersey by wearing it at public events and encouraging his supporters to wear it as well, so that 鈥渢he colors or Brazil are not taken over by any fascist.” Brazilian pop stars aligned with Lula have also donned the soccer shirt at concerts as part of the efforts to reclaim it.
Carlos Andr茅s Arias, a political marketing consultant in Bogota, said that politicians from Cepeda鈥檚 party, including President Petro, have also used 颁辞濒辞尘产颈补鈥檚 yellow jersey at rallies, and in political ads, but less consistently.
He said that de la Espriella benefits from using the jersey because it evokes patriotism, one of the values he promotes at his rallies. De la Espriella has pledged to take a tougher approach to security and .
Arias said that Cepeda鈥檚 efforts to stop his opponents from using the jersey at political rallies are likely to backfire, because they serve to strengthen the link between de la Espriella鈥檚 campaign and the national team鈥檚 jersey.
“People will now think that wearing the jersey is a sure way to support de la Espriella,鈥� Arias said.
颁辞濒辞尘产颈补鈥檚 National Football Federation, which owns the marketing rights to the jerseys, said earlier this week it had no way to control how its shirts are used in non-commercial events, though it expressed regret that they are being used for purposes unrelated to sports.
Ra煤l Cardona, a volunteer for Cepeda鈥檚 campaign in Bogota, said the candidate’s supporters will now use the jersey at their own rallies. He added that he has already seen some Cepeda backers wearing 颁辞濒辞尘产颈补鈥檚 national team shirt at recent marches in Bogota.
鈥淲e need to democratize the use of the jersey,鈥� Cardona said. 鈥淎nd stop the rival campaign from monopolizing this symbol.鈥�
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