A court in Bogotá has ruled this Thursday that the far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella will not be able to continue using the Colombian national football team's jersey during the events of the second round of the presidential elections.
The decision responds to a guardianship lawsuit filed by a citizen, who understands that the partisan appropriation of this national symbol could violate fundamental rights such as equality, non-discrimination, and voters' freedom of choice.
In its resolution, the judge orders De la Espriella's campaign team to "immediately and definitively cease the use of the jersey, colors, or emblems of the Colombian National Team as an identifying symbol of their political party, their campaign, or their personal image in public spaces or any medium."
The ruling also prohibits "linking national or sporting belonging to adherence to his candidacy, or using it to stigmatize, disparagingly qualify, or attack those who identify with left-wing ideas or think differently."
The restriction extends to his entire campaign team and has immediate effect, according to the court's sentence, which warns of possible sanctions in case of non-compliance, according to information disseminated by Colombian media.
The use of the jersey during the electoral contest had caused controversy, especially due to criticism from the left, which reproached De la Espriella and his supporters for trying to appropriate emblems they consider the heritage of all Colombians. Falsely, the far-right candidate even accused President Gustavo Petro of intending to ban the jersey.
The definitive election to choose the next president of Colombia will be held on June 21. De la Espriella is the main favorite after winning the first round with 43% of the votes, against all odds, as polls and bets had anticipated the victory of the officialist candidate, Iván Cepeda, who finally obtained 40% of the support at the polls.