MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Colombian judge orders De la Espriella to stop using national team jersey in campaign

De la Espriella rejected the decision in a campaign statement and said his legal team had already requested that the measure be overturned

A Bogotá court ordered presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and his party, Defensores de la Patria, to refrain from using the Colombian national football jersey at campaign events and in advertising, while it studies a constitutional protection action filed by a citizen. The provisional measure, issued on June 3 by the 120th Municipal Criminal Court, takes immediate effect and also covers social media and the press.

The action was filed by citizen Wilman Bocanegra Calderón, who asked that the candidate and his movement be ordered to stop using the jersey and other national-team symbols as campaign elements, to protect, among other things, “the right to equality, non-discrimination” and the right to elect and be elected. The court also ordered that the National Electoral Council and the Colombian Football Federation (FCF) be brought in to report on any role they may have in the case.

De la Espriella rejected the decision in a campaign statement and said his legal team had already requested that the measure be overturned. At the same time, he urged Colombians to wear the national jersey until June 21, arguing that the garment “does not belong to any political party, leader or campaign,” but represents “national pride, the union of Colombians and the hope of a country.”

During last Sunday's election, thousands of the candidate's supporters turned out to vote wearing the yellow jersey and later celebrated his advance to the presidential runoff —set for June 21— at the Malecón del Río in Barranquilla. The other contender, leftist Iván Cepeda, questioned the use of the garment and asked the FCF to take an official position.

The federation responded that it has no legal authority to restrict the use of a jersey that any citizen can freely buy, though it regretted seeing it used in controversies unrelated to sport. “The Colombia national team jersey symbolizes discipline, sport, teamwork and the ability of our players,” the body said in a statement.

The controversy comes a week before the start of the 2026 World Cup, which has revived Colombians' interest in the national team. The squad, coached by Néstor Lorenzo, is in Group K alongside Portugal, Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and will make its debut on June 17 against Uzbekistan.