In the world of football, the relationship between the players and the fans can take a sudden twist from enjoying a good relationship, being supportive of one another to condemnation.
TeamKenya highlights the top five moments that players have found themselves at crossroads with their fans to an extent of even receiving death threats.
Colombian Player Killed After Scoring an Own goal.
Back in the 1994 World Cup Colombia's campaign ended in disaster with an early own goal by defender Andrés Escobar.
Escobar's own goal came in a 2-1 loss to the US, and reports allege that a highly influential cartel lost a bet it reportedly placed on the game.
After the loss, there was unrest in the nation with threats to the player, but Escobar ignored friends who advised him to lie low. However, he insisted on meeting the fans.
Five days after the early exit, Escobar was murdered while inside his car outside a nightclub in Medellín, Colombia.
Escobar was shot six times, and it was later revealed that his killers mocked him by shouting “Goal!” for each shot. Colombia still marks Escobar's anniversary every year.
Morata Fails to Score a Sitter
Spain International Alvaro Morata in June 2021, missed converting a goal in an open net in a match that ended 1-1 and left Spain in danger of failing to qualify for the European Championship knock-out stages.
The striker had missed several open goal scoring chances in the tournament, including a penalty in a game in which Spain won 5-0 against Slovakia.
Morata noted that he had a sleepless night after missing the penalty, adding that he was attacked with threats and insults afterwards. The 28-year-old was also bullied on social media and his wife and children were jeered at in the Spanish city of Seville.
Sierra Leone Striker Kei Kamara Misses Penalty
During the current Africa Cup of Nations 2021, angry fans threatened to destroy Kei Kamara’s house after he missed a penalty.
Kamara failed to score to help Sierra Leona advance to the next round and unfortunately, they exited the tournament after losing 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea.
Following the team’s exit It was reported that angry fans stormed his Freetown home. However, security operatives acted swiftly to de-escalate the situation.
The same happened to Sierra Leone’s former captain, where his house was pelted with stones after he also missed a penalty during the stoppage time in a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Liberia.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan Fails to Travel for Europa League Final in Baku
In the 2019 Europa League final between Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, currently signed with AS Roma, did not travel with the team to Baku, Azerbaijan for the final.
This was due to the long-running conflict between the Armenians and the citizens of Azerbaijan.
Three years back the same happened to him while he was plying his trade with Borussia Dortmund. The midfielder did not travel to Azerbaijan for a Europa League group stage match against Gabala.
Colombia players receive death threats after World Cup exit
During the 2018 World Cup, Colombian players received threats after they were bundled out of the tournament by England through penalties.
Mateus Uribe and Carlos Bacca both missed their penalty kicks as Colombia lost 4-3 on penalties.
Teammate Carlos Sanchez was also threatened after Colombia lost to Japan. The midfielder had given away a penalty and received a red card early in the match.