Colombia's soccer jersey isn't just about sports. It's become a symbol of political division

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s national soccer jersey — a symbol of unity and pride as the team heads to the 2026 FIFA World Cup — has become embroiled in the country’s bitterly disputed presidential election, sparking debate over whether the yellow shirt should be used at political rallies.

Regularly worn at matches, on national holidays and other special occasions, the bright yellow jersey is now frequently worn at political rallies by supporters of Abelardo de la Espriella. The bombastic lawyer who amassed the most votes in the first round of the election Sunday often dons the jersey himself as he speaks to his supporters from a stage, where he’s usually protected by suited bodyguards and bulletproof glass.

Sen. Iván Cepeda, the candidate for Colombia’s ruling party and an ally of President Gustavo Petro, this week slammed his rival’s choice of apparel, accusing him of stealing a national symbol.

In a message on social platform X Monday, Cepeda wrote that using the national team’s jersey at political rallies was an “opportunistic act” whose legality should be examined.

“The national (soccer) team belongs to all of us,” said Cepeda, who is representing Petro’s party, the Historical Pact, and came in second place during the first round of voting Sunday. The runoff vote will be held June 21. “Stop stealing things that belong to the entire nation.”

Cepeda, who shows up at campaign rallies wearing dark cardigans and mandarin-collared white shirts, this week asked his supporters to refrain from wearing Colombia’s jersey or any other national symbols at his rallies.

“Let’s run a clean, transparent campaign,” Cepeda said.

De la Espriella, a conservative celebrity lawyer who calls himself “the tiger” has not replied to Cepeda’s comments on the use of jerseys. But members of his campaign are now encouraging supporters to use them as much as possible — as a way to defy Cepeda and Petro’s government.

“This jersey, besides showing support for our players, now also represents the defense of the freedoms that Cepeda wants to take away from us,” Daniel Briceño, a congressman who supports de la Espriella, said in a video.

The tug-of-war over Colombia’s national jersey echoes recent developments in Brazil, where the country’s famous gold and green jersey was appropriated by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro at the end of last decade.

Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest for plotting a coup after he lost Brazil’s 2022 election, promoted the use of the Brazilian jersey during his rallies and urged his supporters to wear it to polling stations on voting days.

During his second term in office, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sought to reclaim the jersey by wearing it at public events and encouraging his supporters to wear it as well, so that “the colors or Brazil are not taken over by any fascist." Brazilian pop stars aligned with Lula have also donned the soccer shirt at concerts as part of the efforts to reclaim it.

Carlos Andrés Arias, a political marketing consultant in Bogota, said that politicians from Cepeda’s party, including President Petro, have also used Colombia’s yellow jersey at rallies, and in political ads, but less consistently.

He said that de la Espriella benefits from using the jersey because it evokes patriotism, one of the values he promotes at his rallies. De la Espriella has pledged to take a tougher approach to security and end peace talks with rebel groups.

Arias said that Cepeda’s efforts to stop his opponents from using the jersey at political rallies are likely to backfire, because they serve to strengthen the link between de la Espriella’s campaign and the national team’s jersey.

"People will now think that wearing the jersey is a sure way to support de la Espriella,” Arias said.

Colombia’s National Football Federation, which owns the marketing rights to the jerseys, said earlier this week it had no way to control how its shirts are used in non-commercial events, though it expressed regret that they are being used for purposes unrelated to sports.

Raúl Cardona, a volunteer for Cepeda’s campaign in Bogota, said the candidate's supporters will now use the jersey at their own rallies. He added that he has already seen some Cepeda backers wearing Colombia’s national team shirt at recent marches in Bogota.

“We need to democratize the use of the jersey,” Cardona said. “And stop the rival campaign from monopolizing this symbol.”

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Supporters listen to presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland movement speaking aboard a barge on the Magdalena River after leading the first round of the presidential election and advancing to a runoff in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Supporters of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland movement celebrate after the candidate advanced to a runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland movement addresses supporters after leading the first round of the presidential election and advancing to a runoff in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Supporters of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland movement salute at the polling station where he will vote during the presidential election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s interior minister accused activists of hijacking a tragedy to stir up violence after police were attacked at a protest over the death of a teenager who was handcuffed as he lay dying while his killer stood nearby.

Police were pelted with chairs, cans, rocks and flares late Tuesday by some of the hundreds who attended a protest in the southern English coast city of Southampton, where Henry Nowak was killed in December. Two people were arrested and 11 officers and a police dog were injured, police said.

Nowak's death has triggered debates about policing and knife crime and has spurred claims by far-right activists and politicians that there is bias against white people in the justice system.

Nowak’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, who is Sikh, falsely claimed he was the victim of a racist assault by 18-year-old Nowak, who was white. When police officers arrived, they initially treated the wounded man as a suspect before noticing his injury and trying to resuscitate him.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that the case had left “serious questions to answer, including how accusations of racism informed police thinking." But he called the street violence “disgraceful and completely unacceptable.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Nowak's family had "made a powerful call to us all yesterday to not let Henry’s death be used to create further division, hatred or tension.

“There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder. Those responsible can expect to face the full force of the law,” she said.

Digwa, 23, was convicted of murder and sentenced Monday to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years. The judge said he didn’t believe Nowak had said anything racist to his attacker.

After the sentencing, police released video showing officers dismissing Nowak when he told them he had been stabbed and repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct, which investigates allegations of police wrongdoing, is probing the actions of the officers from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. The National Police Chiefs’ Council said it will review its anti-racism guidance in the wake of the killing.

After the sentencing hearing, the victim’s father, Mark Nowak, said the case was not about racism or religion, and that he wanted his son’s death to lead to safer streets and not to be used to create “further division, hatred or tension.”

But Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, said on Tuesday that it was an example of so-called two-tier policing — a popular far-right talking point that claims ethnic minorities are better treated than white people.

Farage urged people to respond to the incident with “pure cold rage,” and said, “white lives matter just as much as Black lives.” X owner Elon Musk and British far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, have also expressed outrage at the crime.

Some politicians have called for Sikhs to be banned from carrying ceremonial knives, known as kirpans. The judge said Digwa had a small kirpan but also had an 8-inch (21-centimeter) sheathed Sikh dagger that was used as the weapon to kill Nowak.

Hampshire Police chief constable Alexis Boon said he understood the “desire for answers and accountability.”

“But that must be done in the right way and not used as an excuse to threaten and intimidate my officers and bring violence to our streets, causing fear and harm to those living and working in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight,” he said.

People protest outside the police station in Southampton, England, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, one holding a photo of December 2025 stabbing victim Henry Nowak, 18. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

People gather to protest outside Southampton police station, Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026, after the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a British teenager who was handcuffed despite claiming he was the crime victim. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

In this image taken from PA Video, police and protestors clash during a protest following the death of Henry Nowak, a 18-year-old student stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial by Vickrum Digwa, in Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026. (Jamie Lashmar/PA via AP)

In this image taken from PA Video, police and protestors clash during a protest following the death of Henry Nowak, a 18-year-old student stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial by Vickrum Digwa, in Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026. (Jamie Lashmar/PA via AP)

In this image taken from PA Video, police and protestors clash during a protest following the death of Henry Nowak, a 18-year-old student stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial by Vickrum Digwa, in Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026. (Jamie Lashmar/PA via AP)