Colombia’s Foreign Ministry has asked the Italian government to protect star soccer player Camilo Zuñiga after the Colombian inadvertently took-out Brazil’s top performer in the World Cup.
Operating from the Colombian consulate in Milan where Zuñiga resides, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned against threats of intimidation towards the athlete and his family, which were triggered after Zuñiga apparently accidentally collided with Brazil’s superstar, Neymar da Silva Santos, according to Colombia’s El Espectador newspaper.
The collision, which was ruled unintentional by governing body FIFA, resulted in a fractured vertebra for Neymar and his subsequent removal from the World Cup.
MORE: FIFA clears Colombia defender Zuñiga of wrongdoing in Neymar challenge
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry also informed Zuñiga’s family members to alert consular authorities in Italy should they need protection as their home addresses had been posted on social media accounts with threats of attacks.
The ministry’s official Twitter account reiterated that soccer is a game that should just be played and is a means of peace and tolerance.
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