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The World Cup kicks off next week, and fans everywhere are showing their support by wearing the jerseys of their national soccer teams. But in Colombia, the team's colors are getting soiled by politics. John Otis explains.
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UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR #1: Gol de Colombia. Gol de Colombia.
JOHN OTIS, BYLINE: In its final warmup before the World Cup, Colombia beat Costa Rica before a packed stadium here in Bogota. Jazzed about Colombia's first World Cup appearance in eight years, many fans wore the team's yellow jersey. But the shirt is now enmeshed in political football.
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ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: That's Colombia's far-right presidential candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella. A millionaire lawyer who admires President Trump, he often wears tailored suits. He even designed his own fashion collection that includes luxury watches and tennis shoes that sell for $1,300 a pair. But now, to take advantage of the good vibes surrounding the national side, De la Espriella and many of his supporters are dressing in the team jersey. The candidate wore it while giving a victory speech after winning the most votes in the first-round presidential election on Sunday.
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DE LA ESPRIELLA: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: However, his new look doesn't sit well with Ivan Cepeda. He's a left-wing senator who finished second on Sunday and will face De la Espriella in a runoff on June 21.
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IVAN CEPEDA: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: At a news conference Monday, Cepeda accused De la Espriella of, quote, "stealing" the national jersey.
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CEPEDA: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: "Since when did the national team become the property of de la Espriella's campaign?" Cepeda said. "The national team belongs to all of us." Supporters of De la Espriella accuse Cepeda of sour grapes and of his own sartorial faux pas.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: A former communist, Cepeda wears collarless shirts that remind some of his online critics of the late Chinese dictator, Mao Zedong.
NICOLAS VELASCO: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: Bogota politician Nicolas Velasco (ph) claims Cepeda has links to drug trafficking rebels and prefers camouflage to the national jersey. Others have posted altered photos of Cepeda wearing pro-guerrilla T-shirts. It all mirrors a dustup in Brazil four years ago. That's when far-right President Jair Bolsonaro turned Brazil's team jersey into a partisan symbol during his failed reelection bid before the 2022 World Cup.
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UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR #2: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: But in soccer-mad Colombia, this game plan could pay off. Although Colombia has scant chance of winning the World Cup, many pundits are predicting that the jersey-wearing De la Espriella will win the presidency. For NPR News, I'm John Otis in Bogota, Colombia.
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