BOGOTA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Colombian police have launched an investigation into death threats against midfielder Carlos Sanchez after the national team's 2-1 loss to Japan in their opening FIFA World Cup match in Russia.
News of the probe comes 24 years after the death of former Colombia defender Andres Escobar, who was gunned down in Medellín just days after scoring an own goal in the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Sanchez was sent off in the third minute of Tuesday's match in Saransk for blocking a Shinji Kagawa shot with his arm inside the penalty area.
Kagawa converted the resultant penalty and Japan capitalized on their numerical advantage to avenge a 4-1 defeat to the same opponents at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The threats were posted on Twitter, with some alluding to Escobar's murder. According Colombia's Blu Radio, Police assigned a special cyber crime unit to investigate the messages.
Sanchez, who has been capped 80 times for his country, will miss Colombia's second group match against Poland on Sunday because of a one-match ban.
