Colombians have expressed absolute displeasure at the sun newspaper headline above a picture of a smiling Harry Kane (English football striker) on the front page of the newspaper.
The original article which read “As 3 Lions face nation that gave world Shakira, great coffee and er, other stuff, we say…Go Kane!” looked like a clever word play intended to mock the history of Colombia as the number one cocaine producer in the World.
Local Colombian Newspaper El Espectador said it reminded the country of its difficult past with drugs just hours before the football game between Colombia and England in the knock-out stages of the world cup.
Colombian ambassador to the UK expressed his displeasure to the Independent newspaper in the Uk. He said…
“it’s rather sad that they use such a festive environment, as the world cup to target a country and continue to stigmatise it with a completely unrelated issue”
Expressing his anger and displeasure to the Independent, Valera Cuevas, a Colombian journalist said…
”I’m totally annoyed because it isn’t the first time that a newspaper relates us to drugs. Colombia has many things to be recognised for, unfortunately the international press returns to a headline relating Colombia to drugs”.
Cocaine use is highly prohibited in Colombia as its production has fuelled violent communist insurgencies and right wing paramilitaries.
Colombians are often uncomfortable and embarrassed by their association with the drug trade and are hoping to reinvent their international image.