One thing I was disgusted by during this World Cup was this running commentary thread among fans--European fans, to be frank and precise about it--over Colombia's fouling, like that was somehow the trait that defines them. No doubt that was because of the "Ireland incident", a game which nobody saw full footage of and where Colombia's side of it (that apparently Ireland fouled just as much) was largely drowned out by English-speaking fans.
Is Colombia a side that uses physicality to stop the opposing teams' flow? Yes. Is it fair that somehow, every time a Colombian player commits a foul, some fans would comment something like, "oh, Colombia, always fouling," like somehow that's their defining trait? Absolutely not.
England fouled a lot of the Australian players during their semi-final match. Germany kept fouling South Korean players, who couldn't match their physicality btw, as the game got away from them. And yet, I'm sure that a lot of the same fans who branded Colombia as a "fouling team" would never brand England and Germany as such.
The double standard from some fans is so clear to see, and especially grating to me, an Asian person. Asian teams are always expected to match the physicality of European teams, but when a team from South America (or Africa) does just that, it's suddenly too much.
When I saw Colombia play, my main takeaway about them was that, they're so good on the ball. I hope that's most people's takeaway too.
And for those who have this narrative in their heads that Colombia is a team that keeps fouling, I hope they apply the same standards to other teams who fouled just as much, if not more. Otherwise, well, I hope they think about why they judge different teams differently.
