Radamel Falcao left out of Colombia's 23-man World Cup squad after failing to regain fitness

Peckermen with Falcao during the press conference

Colombian national coach Jose Peckerman named his final 23-man squad on Monday during a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Missing out on the list was AS Monaco striker Radamel Falcao who failed to recover fully from a knee injury that he sustained during a Coupe de France match in January.

The former Atletico Madrid striker was recovering at a faster pace than projected and was expected to be fit to make the final squad. Pekermen also insisted last week that he would wait “till the last minute” to decide on Falcao’s fitness. He was even able to train with the team during Colombia’s training camp. However, the talismanic striker’s World Cup hopes were dashed when he was not declared 100% match fit.

Jose Pekerman said , “I don't want to say good evening because it has been such a sad day. The doctors have been very clear; now is not the time for Falcao to return to competition."

Clearly emotional, the striker added: "I do not want to take the place of a team-mate who is at 100 per cent."

Also missing out on the squad were Amaranto Perea and Luis Fernando Muriel. The coach said that Perea had been dropped out due to a physical complaint whereas Muriel’s absence was due to a technical decision. Colombian football fans were shocked by the news that their star striker will not play in the World Cup.

Colombia has been teamed up against Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan in Group C. Colombia kicks-off its World Cup campaign against Greece on June 14.

Colombia’s final squad

Goalkeepers: David Ospina; Faryd Mondragon; Camilo Vargas.Defenders: Juan Camilo Zuniga; Pablo Armero; Santiago Arias; Eder Alvarez Balanta; Mario Alberto Yepes; Carlos Valdes; Cristian Zapata.Midfielders: Carlos Sanchez; Abel Aguilar; Alexander Mejia; Freddy Guarin; Juan Guillermo Cuadrado; James Rodriguez; Juan Fernando Quintero; Aldo Leao Ramirez; Victor Ibarbo.Strikers: Jackson Martinez; Adrian Ramos; Teofilo Gutierrez; Carlos Bacca.