Colombians Ponder Defeat, Threats

Grim-faced Colombian soccer players milled about the packed lobby of the Fullerton Marriott hotel Thursday, signing autographs for star-struck youngsters, granting interviews to swarms of reporters and looking for answers.

How did they lose to the United States team? What has become of their World Cup dreams? And, perhaps most troubling, who threatened the life of one of their star players, demanding that the player--Gabriel Jamie Gomez--be benched?

“Obviously, we are not in the best mood,” said back-up goalie Farid Mondragon, 23. “We are hurt inside and we don’t have (an) explanation for what happened.”

About the death threat, Mondragon shook his head before he spoke: “In this group, when you touch one member, you touch all the group.”

As the soccer players remained dazed over Wednesday’s stunning defeat and concerned about the threat to mid-fielder Gomez’s life, law enforcement officials were busy trying to identify the culprit.

The FBI, World Cup authorities and police from Fullerton and Cal State Fullerton were working together but seemed to have few leads in the case.

The threat was made through the hotel switchboard Wednesday morning about 5 1/2 hours before the start of the game, said Gerry Lopez, hotel general manager. He said somebody called the Marriott asking to speak to the Colombian team’s coach. Told that the coach was not in, the person made the threat to the hotel operator, who told the coach and law enforcement authorities.

Lopez said it was his impression that the caller, who made the threat in a matter-of-fact tone, was relaying a message from someone else.

Team and law enforcement officials took the threat very seriously. Gomez did not play during the game and flew back home to Colombia late Wednesday night to be with his wife and children, whose lives apparently were also threatened in the same phone call. The coach, Francisco Maturana, was also threatened with death if he allowed Gomez to play.

Many odds-makers had predicted that the Colombians would win the World Cup. Pressure on the players--from the media, the fans and themselves--was tremendous.

Additional hotel security and police were immediately sent to patrol the hotel after the 11 a.m. call. The added security will remain until the team leaves the hotel Saturday to play a game against Switzerland in Palo Alto.

Lopez said there was no audio, written or computer transcript of the caller’s message. Investigators continue to look into the case, but there seems to be little information to go on.

“I really don’t know what they can do now,” Lopez said. “We’ve heard nothing else on it.”

None of the law enforcement agencies would comment Thursday on the investigation.

The Romanian team is also staying in Orange County, while practicing at UC Irvine.

Colombian team spokesman Tony Correa said death threats on World Cup players are not uncommon.

“You accept it because you have to,” he said. “You’ve got to take it seriously whenever it happens because you never know if it’s the real McCoy.”

He described Gomez as a good but controversial player.

“It’s kind of like a quarterback controversy,” Correa said. “Some people believe he should be a starter and some believe another player should be the starter.”

Correa said authorities have no idea who made the threat or the motive behind the call.

“It’s very frustrating to have a stranger dictating who comes in (to the game) and who goes out,” Correa said.

The threat may have unhinged the team, Correa said. Prior to the game the players “looked very concerned. They looked lost.” Across the field, he added, the Americans looked “loose and were smiling and chewing gum.”

Dozens of reporters from around the world were in the hotel Thursday, interviewing dejected players.

Mondragon, the goalie, said the team’s loss was devastating to many in his country. “I don’t know why this happened,” he said.

But Mondragon rejected the idea that the loss could be linked to the threats.

“We’re not trying to find this as an excuse,” he said.