Colombia’s friendly against South Korea on Nov. 10 did not endear the South Americans to the world. Midfielder Edwin Cardona made a racist gesture to South Korean players following an embarrassing flop by James Rodriguez. We wrote then that if FIFA had any sense, Cardona would be given a lengthy ban lasting through the World Cup.
To no one’s surprise, FIFA does not have any sense. The racist gesture did earn Cardona a five-match ban from FIFA on Tuesday, but he’ll be able to sit out five friendlies and return in time for Colombia’s World Cup opener.
Oh, and who’s the World Cup opener against? South Korean neighbor Japan.
To reiterate what led up to the Edwin Cardona ban, the incident began when James Rodriguez kicked Jin-Su Kim without coming close to hitting the ball. James then tried to pick his opponent up off the ground, only for Kim to swipe a hand at James, at most barely scraping the Bayern Munich player. James made a meal out of it and writhed around on the ground like a dying wasp.
These events sparked a mild scrum between the teams, during which Cardona put his fingers to his eyes and made the racist gesture toward his opponents (0:45 in the video below).
Was the Edwin Cardona ban too light? Photo: @cworswick | Twitter
FIFA claims it’s serious about kicking racism out of soccer, but a minor punishment (five meaningless games) doesn’t send the right message. Cardona was contrite after the match, but that doesn’t change the seriousness of his actions. While Cardona was also given a fine (about $20,000), he’ll be relieved to learn he won’t miss the World Cup.
The five-match Edwin Cardona ban is far too light for someone making a racist gesture right in front of the people he was insulting. Allowing him to play in the World Cup (and against another Asian nation no less), is yet another sign of FIFA's cluelessness.
Cardona is a Monterrey player in Liga MX but is currently on loan with Boca Juniors. You can guarantee he won’t be coveted by any Asian clubs for the rest of his career.
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