Colombia’s Under-20 midfielder James Rodriguez received a warning from FIFA for his crowd celebration following his last minute goal in Tuesday’s game against Mali, Caracol Radio reported Wednesday.
After his goal in the final minutes of the match, Rodriguez hopped a small barrier and ran towards the crowd. The ecstatic fans took to the field and engulfed the midfielder. According to director of the District Institute of Recreation and Sports (IDRD), “the reaction of the police and the logistics team was very fast and it did not escalate.”
The Colombian Soccer Federation and FIFA were particularly concerned by Rodriguez’s celebration because they had previously decided to remove the nets that separate the fans from the field.
“It was an unfortunate moment where the player was accustomed to having nets and he went to celebrate with the public, in fact if he does not do that the people would not make the decision to stand from their chairs and go to the field,” said the director of IDRD.
“We have to show that we are a cultured city, in terms of sports, so the invitation is that we won’t do it again because the lower nets will return to the stadium that are absolutely ugly and [fans] cannot see the game well.”