Colombia head into their World Cup clash against Poland in Group H on Sunday under pressure to get a result and with their preparations overshadowed by reports of a police investigation into death threats made to midfielder Carlos Sanchez.
In a grisly echo of the killing of Andres Escobar, who was gunned down after scoring an own goal for Colombia at the 1994 World Cup, Sanchez received threats on social media after receiving a red card in the third minute of Tuesday’s 2-1 loss against Japan.
Sanchez was sent off for a deliberate handball after trying to block a shot in the area and will miss the Poland match in Kazan on Sunday. The Jose Pekerman-coached team closed ranks on Friday, undertaking a private training session at their ski resort base outside of Kazan and declining to comment on the Colombian police probe and their preparations for Poland, who were upset 2-1 by Senegal in their opener.