Colombia Star James Rodriguez Receives Death Threats After Withdrawing From International Squad

CHRISTOPHE SIMON / Getty Images

Real Madrid star James Rodriquez has been the victim of death threats on social media following his withdrawal from Colombia’s international squad.

The 25-year-old was forced to pull out of Colombia’s upcoming World Cup qualifier with Uruguay due to a calf-injury.

But a minority of Colombian supporters were less than understanding of the midfielder’s rehab requirements, sending him, and his mother, death threats on Twitter.

A group called ‘Legion Holk’, instigated by Twitter user @FrekeMan, sent Rodriquez a picture of a 9mm pistol alongside some ammunition, accompanied with the caption:

” I am traveling to your house, coming armed. Say goodbye to everything you love #HolkLegion is watching over you.”

As quoted in the Mirror, another person wrote:

“I see tomorrow all these people crying because I killed a mediocre player.”

Pilar Rubio, Rodriguez’s mum, reportedly saved the threatening tweets before handing them over to the local police.

She subsequently tweeted:

“What’s the matter with these people, are they mad? They have sent me a message saying that it would be better to see him dead.”

Colombia have had a chequered past with fan to player relations; ex-Colombian international Andres Escobar was shot dead in 1994 just days after Colombia crashed out of the ’94 World Cup.

There are also heightened security concerns in Colombia at present as a result of the failed peace deal, which saw the nation’s biggest rebel group, FARC, agree a deal with the government, only for 50.2% of the public to vote against the proposition.

90min