Bogotá As Colombia rode a surge of World Cup enthusiasm ahead of the June 21 presidential runoff, a local judge has moved to curb the politicization of the national team shirt. Judge Aura Forero ruled this week that right‑wing frontrunner Abelardo de la Espriella cannot wear Colombia’s bright yellow jersey in political settings after the candidate and his supporters promoted the shirt at rallies and on social media.
De la Espriella encouraged voters to wear the jersey on election day and framed it as a national symbol akin to the flag or armed forces. Critics including leftist rival Iván Cepeda argued the tactic improperly co‑opted a unifying sports icon for partisan gain. Forero’s ruling said the candidate’s use of the jersey “compromises the right” of the opposing candidate and their supporters to use the same symbol, and that its partisan deployment skewed the shirt in favor of de la Espriella’s campaign.
The episode underscores how football fervor can spill into politics across Latin America, where jerseys (camisetas) are powerful cultural symbols. Politicians frequently use club and national shirts to project populist appeal from Venezuela’s Vinotinto being worn by both President Nicolás Maduro and his opponents, to Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi leveraging AC Milan’s success to boost his public image. Colombia’s ruling highlights the legal and ethical tensions that arise when sport and political campaigning collide, and may prompt electoral authorities across the region to factor major sports events into election planning to avoid clashes between national celebrations and campaign rules.
