Thousands of fans and millions of thanks for the Colombia team – 2018 Russia World Cup



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Imagine Street 26 as a huge tunnel separating the locker rooms from the field, with the crowd to the right and to the left, with yellow t-shirts of all models, with tunets tuned and out of tune, with flags waved by As in any tribune, the Colombian team was preparing to take a bus to get to this cement court where thousands of strangers hugged, smiled and invented choruses to receive their heroes, those who had just arrived from the World Cup. "They come, they come," they both shouted and they looked down, although everyone knew that it was a lie – and that it was already noon, time announced for the day. 39; arrival of the national team – because all the fans knew that the wait would be longer. For this reason, the streets were like tribunes when the party arrived early and the time must be killed: the children ran and threw stones, some with Neymar's shirt and all the others with James, a shirt seller offered them 20,000 pesos and reveals in a low voice that he leaves them at 15,000, while the indignant cry: "The match against England has been stolen from us," even shouting goals that do not Were not: "Bacca's goal, goal of Bacca".

  Selección Colombia

"We were very close, we had many desires, many possibilities," says the Argentine strategist.

Abel Cárdenas / CEET

"They said that at 12 and nothing" said a man with a girl on his shoulders, and the other fans lost their strength, with long faces, bent knees, open umbrellas , time playing rain and sunshine, and impatient people: "Dad, does the 's' come?" shouts the boy that kicks at the stones. "Almost," said the father, and he knows that he's lying. At that time, the clock looks more than all the arriving planes and a woman yawns as if she wanted to swallow the air, then said that the wait is worse than when the pope came , and a boy rubs his eyes, while another woman says What a pity that James does not come, but he waits Cuadrado, and this woman wears high-heeled boots and he will surely not run after the caravan, but it will not be necessary, because more and more people arrive and the street already looks like caudal, but without movement. However, Leo says that there is very little, "not like four years ago", and Luis responds that the players deserve everything, and that he gets on his bike he says that He will go behind the bus until Falcao signs his shirt which is worn like a cape on his neck. At that moment, a boy abandons himself, the dream overcomes him, his head falls on his father's lap, and a man asks another man that he's not there. To go to work and he responds that it's better to go to lunch, and a few minutes there is a boring silence, as if it was not a tribute but a funeral, up to ######################################################################### Finally, a cry that rises from the bottom and travels with the wind, and this time it is real, and it spreads like a wave. The boy wakes up, the parents raise their children on their shoulders, the police clears the street and the yellow bus finally begins to move forward, to approach. Now they come. Now it is true …

The happy encounter

At 11:45 am, the A320 landed in Bogota. Inside the white plane came 21 of the 23 players from the Colombian national team and the coaching team led by Jose Pekerman, those who fell in the second round of the World Cup in Russia. James and Borja did not arrive, but Falcao, Cuadrado, Mina and the others did it. Two streams of water fell on the plane, as if it was the ground paper that greets the players in the stadium. From there, they came down one by one, their faces tired after the long journey. However, they spoke to the country with the joy of being at home. " I am very happy to return to our country.This is not what we wanted in the World Cup, but we are calm about what we did ," said Juan Fernando Quintero.

An hour later, while the fans outside were impatient, the players finally joined the tricolor bus to continue their journey. The Catam airport gates opened and a police caravan ordered the road to the asphalt yard. Then the choirs were heard; the cornets animated; the flags were high; People started running with their children by the hand, in the neck or elsewhere. "I do not see, I do not see," they cried. 'Thank you', said a blue billboard; "Thank you," said a banner hanging on a bridge; "Thank you", they said thousands of tricolor flags and "thank you", chanted the fans as the national team bus advanced, slow, opening its way, as if it had been washed away by this human current.

  Selección Colombia

The charter-party that transported the team landed near noon in the Military Air Transport Command (CATAM).

The first impact was a disappointment. The players were protected from euphoria: the bus was not open, as everyone was waiting for it, and in the shop windows the weary faces of the players were barely visible, behind a dark glbad in which, to top it off, the sun's rays The players were serious, perhaps surprised by the home, perhaps exhausted, perhaps by both. "Bacca, Bacca," shouted some when they saw the attacker, who missed the final penalty against England, and Bacca removed his lips, smiled and lifted his thumb, and the people applauded and it seemed that everything was arranged.

Not everyone was happy. "Wait so long for them to even say hello," said the same fan who denied the long wait, and left with his daughter on his shoulders. But the majority was not lacking, followed the bus route, walking, satisfied with the certainty that there were footballers who waved their hearts in four World Cup matches.

  Reception of the Colombian National Team

Pékerman pressed the microphone and exclaimed, "We are neither winners nor losers, we are proud of this shirt."

Photo: [19659016CarlosOrtega/ELTIEMPO

An hour later, the national team arrived at the stadium, where nearly 30,000 people were waiting for them. Finally, they touched the grbad, the sweatshirt and the tennis, walked on the court and applauded each of the stands of El Campin. Pekerman, as if he wanted to make his own tribute, wore the yellow shirt with 9 Falcao, Dávinson Sánchez wore a cap and dark glbades, Yerry Mina rolled the sweatshirt up to the knees and smiled under them. shouts chanting "Yerry, Yerry".

Pekerman climbed onto the platform and with a happy face gave thanks: " Thank you forever for this reception.We are not winners or losers, we are proud of this jersey ", He said, and the approximately 30,000 spectators present shouted as loudly as if it was the triumph against England

Pablo Romero
EL TIEMPO
On Twitter : @PabloRomeroET

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