Jewish coach leads Colombia’s national soccer team to third-place Copa victory
Published June 27, 2016
(JTA) — Colombia’s national soccer team coach Jose Pekerman led the team to third place on the winners’ podium at the Copa America Centenario.
The Colombian team beat the United States 1-0 in the match to decide the 3rd and 4th places in the centennial edition of the tournament on Saturday at University of Phoenix Stadium. Sixteen countries competed in the tournament, which ended on Sunday,
Colombia’s Argentine-Jewish coach was born in Villa Dominguez in the Argentinean countryside, one of the main centers of Jewish immigration to Argentina. His grandparents came from Ukraine. He lived in the Buenos Aires Jewish neighborhood of Villa Crespo until he took over as Colombia’s coach in January 2012 and “has overseen a renaissance” with the Colombian national team, according the Copa America website. He is a former midfielder with the Argentine national team.
In the final Copa game on Saturday, Chile defeated Argentina in penalties 4-2, after ending tied 0-0 in extra time. In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Argentinean star Leo Messi missed his penalty shot, later asserting that he will no longer play for his national team. In April, Messi was ripped as “Jewish” and “Zionist” after donating cleats to an Egyptian charity.
Messi is a Catholic and has made the sign of the cross on his chest after scoring goals. In August 2013, he visited the Western Wall on a peace tour with the Barcelona club. One year later, Messi supported a soccer match organized by Pope Francis to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians, but he did not play in the match due an injury.
The tournament celebrated 100 years of the oldest national team cup in the world. Some 1.5 million fans attended the 32 games in 10 venues across the United States, for an average of more than 46,000 fans per game, making it the most attended Copa America in the tournament’s 100-year history.
Along with record-setting attendance, more than 100 million viewers have watched the games on the Univision and FOX networks, including the most-watched men’s soccer match in the history of FS1 for the USA vs. Argentina Semifinal on Tuesday, June 21. The tournament has been televised in more than 160 countries around the world, reaching more than 1.5 billion households.
