Online
\nQUITO
\nColombia\u2019s James Rodriguez has strongly denied reports he was involved in a dressing-room bust-up after the national team\u2019s 6-1 defeat by Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier this week. The Everton midfielder said the speculation about confrontations between team mates after the loss were \u201cslander\u201d designed to create discord in the struggling squad.
\n\u201cI DENY all kinds of supposed information alluding to mistreatment, aggressions, disputes or any kind of controversy between players and that mentions me as a protagonist,\u201d Rodriguez said in a statement on Twitter. The defeat in Quito was Colombia\u2019s heaviest qualifying loss since 1977 and left them with just four points from their first four World Cup qualifiers on the road to Qatar 2022.
\nRodriguez acknowledged that Colombia are struggling but said the squad, which contains experienced players from several top European leagues as well as Colombia, is united.
\n\u201cWe need to dispel any kind of doubts about the harmony and atmosphere in the dressing-room if we are to qualify for Qatar,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Online QUITO Colombia\u2019s James Rodriguez has strongly denied reports he was involved in a dressing-room bust-up after the national team\u2019s 6-1 defeat by Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier this week. The Everton midfielder said the speculation about confrontations between team mates after the loss were \u201cslander\u201d designed to create discord in the struggling squad. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-157597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n