Colombian court bans Espriella from wearing national team shirt in campaign

The right-wing representative in the second round of elections in Colombia Abelardo De La Espriella criticized the court decision that prohibits him from wearing the national team's shirt during campaign events.

The preliminary decision revealed by the newspaper El Tiempo states that Abelardo de la Espriella must refrain from wearing or displaying the national team's shirt during the elections and maintains that this symbol belongs to a sporting, not a political, context.

In a post on social media, the lawyer and presidential candidate stated that Colombia's shirt "does not belong to any party" and classified the court order as authoritarian.

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"No one can prohibit a Colombian from wearing the colors of his national team nor from expressing, in a free and peaceful way, the love he feels for his country", he wrote. "For this reason, we will continue to wear the Colombia shirt with joy, respect and patriotism. Because the shirt is not censored and Colombia belongs to everyone", he added.

¡Red card for authoritarianism!

The Colombia t-shirt does not belong to any party, leader or campaign. It is a symbol of unity, freedom and national pride.

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Toque agora.

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3 Faz Chover David Quinlan

4 Savior Billy Bob Thornton

Nadie can prohibit a Colombian from wearing the colors of his national team or expressing himself, freely and... pic.twitter.com/MZjKtByaSG

- Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) June 4, 2026

The use of the national team shirt by Abelardo de la Espriella and his supporters was criticized by the left-wing candidate, senator Iván Cepeda. In a message addressed to the Colombian Football Federation, he questioned why the team's shirt was being used for "electoral purposes".

"The Colombia National Team belongs to all Colombians. Its t-shirt is a national symbol, and has commercial and political restrictions. Its use for electoral, private and ideological purposes is a clearly opportunistic act, whose legal effects must be examined. Even more so when we are just a few days away from the start of the Football World Cup", wrote Cepeda.

He was referring to the use of the national team's shirt by Espriella and supporters when celebrating the victory in the first round. The right-wing candidate obtained almost 44% of the votes while Cepeda had less than 41%.

¿WHY ARE YOU USING THE COLOMBIA SELECTION T-SHIRT FOR ELECTORAL FINES?

Señores Federación Colombiana de Fútbol, @FCF_Oficial:

As you can see, during the electoral day, candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and many of his followers used...

- Iván Cepeda Castro (@IvanCepedaCast) June 1, 2026

Dispute for the presidency of Colombia
Abelardo de la Espriella, 47, has never held public office and has been compared to the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele. He proposed a harsh offensive against criminal groups and promises to build ten mega-prisons.

For the second round, the right-wing candidate has the support of American President Donald Trump. "The results of this election are very important for the future of Colombia and its relationship with the United States," wrote Trump when declaring his "total and unrestricted" support for Espriella.

He faces senator and activist Iván Cepeda, 63, in the second round. The son of a murdered communist leader, he promised to seek peace through negotiations with armed groups - an approach that made little progress under the Gustavo Petro government.

The Colombian president has insisted on allegations of electoral fraud, contrary to international observers, and has not recognized the result of the first round after his candidate's defeat. Petro also accuses Donald Trump of interfering in the Colombian elections with his support for Espriella.

The second round will be played on June 21st.

*With Reuters

https://stories.cnnbrasil.com.br/internacional/quem-e-abelardo-de-la-espriella-candidato-direitista-na-colombia/

Source: CNN