Colombian Man Sues FIFA for €1B over Refereeing Decisions at 2014 World Cup

Blaming the referee for the fate of your football team is something every fan has done at one time or another, but one man in Colombia has moved things up a notch and begun a lawsuit against FIFA worth £800 million (€1 billion).

He claims, according to the BBC, that he was caused "distress" by the refereeing in Colombia's defeat to Brazil in the World Cup quarter-final, and subsequently, he had to go to the hospital with cardiac problems.

The match was a controversial one, with referee Carlos Velasco Carballo making several contentious calls. 

Brazil's tackling became very physical as they tried to hold Colombia at bay, while Mario Yepes had a goal disallowed that might easily have been given.

On the other hand, the match was also infamous for featuring a challenge from Camilo Zuniga which broke Neymar's back and ended his participation in the tournament. Zuniga escaped even a booking.

Aurelio Jimenez, a 74-year-old Colombian lawyer, says the game was damaging to him accordingly:

"

I felt very bad, I was heartbroken, my cardiac rhythm was altered and my relatives took me to the emergency room at the hospital. I was surrounded by my grandchildren who were crying a lot.

I decided to sue Fifa in the Colombian judiciary system because in the past world soccer championship in Brazil, there were many wrongdoings related to referees who damaged many countries and their selections, among them the Colombia team.

Moreover, Fifa's referees caused big moral damages and distress to Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, England, Uruguay, Mexico and Costa Rica.

"

In a final observation, Jimenez said that were he to win the case, he planned to donate the damages won to a government organisation working on improving the lives of Colombian children.

[BBC]