SYDNEY (AP) — Colombia head coach Nelson Abadía said forward Linda Caicedo is healthy ahead of Sunday’s Women’s World Cup match against Germany despite a training session video showing her voluntarily dropping to the ground while holding her chest.
“It was just an episode,” Abadía said Saturday. “It’s finished. It’s over. We’re happy about this. No problem.”
Caicedo, an 18-year-old cancer survivor, scored in Colombia’s opening 2-0 win over South Korea last week and is among the best young players in the world.
Asked to confirm that Caicedo will play Sunday, Abadía said: “We still have 24 hours to make a decision. But Linda is fine.”
A win against Germany would guarantee Colombia a spot in the knockout round. If Colombia plays to a draw or loses to the two-time World Cup champions, the team's fate would be unresolved until the last day of the group stage.
Abadía said that Caicedo’s fall, shown in a video posted to social media on Thursday by Colombian media outlet DSPORTS, was due to fatigue and stress.
“She was tired,” Abadía said. “She was a bit stressed as well, because she was playing in her first World Cup. She had experience in other minor (youth) World Cups, but the World Cup has great relevance. She’s 18 years of age. She’s a girl as far as football goes.”
Caicedo, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 15, captained Colombia last year at the U-17 Women’s World Cup and also played at the U-20 Women’s World Cup.
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Zeke Palermo is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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More AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
