Colombia midfielder Jhon Arias has taken a swipe at FIFA following his team's painful penalty shootout defeat to Switzerland in the World Cup round of 16, claiming teams were not competing on equal terms due to scheduling disparities.
In a goalless draw that extended to penalties, Davinson Sanchez and Cucho Hernandez missed from the spot for Colombia, allowing Ruben Vargas to score the winning penalty for Switzerland. The Swiss will now face Argentina in the quarter-finals in Kansas City on Saturday.
Travel fatigue and unequal conditions
Arias pointed out that Colombia's five matches were held in five different cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Miami, Kansas City, and Vancouver. In contrast, Switzerland played their first two matches in Santa Clara and Inglewood, both in California, before three consecutive games in Vancouver.
“It’s difficult to answer because I could be punished, but that’s how this industry works,” the former Wolves midfielder said via ESPN. “We don’t all compete on equal terms, but that’s not a new problem. It doesn’t end here, it continues and the trend is for it to get worse. That’s how football works, it’s nothing new. We have to compete wherever we are.”
The 28-year-old, now playing for Palmeiras, acknowledged the impact of travel on his physical condition but refused to use it as an excuse.
Reflection on Colombia's World Cup campaign
Despite a solid performance, Colombia exited earlier than hoped. Arias expressed frustration and called for change within the national team. “It’s inexplicable. Unfortunately, we were once again knocked out, and with this bitter taste,” he said. “We had enormous hope and believed we could make it to the final day, but something was missing, because we’re leaving the World Cup prematurely, in the round of 16.”
He added: “With a cool head, we had a good World Cup, but that’s not enough. That’s football. We leave with a bad taste in our mouths, but also with the certainty that there are things we need to adjust and correct. We are on a path that can bring us great achievements in the future, because we already deserve it.”
Arias also emphasised the need for improvement, saying: “Hopefully this will serve to provoke a change in the national team, because it’s enough that we’ve been at the door and haven’t made it to the last day. I firmly believe that God has great things in store for us, but we still need to do everything humanly possible to get there.”
