James Rodriguez criticized the Colombian Football Federation Friday after being cut from the squad for the Copa America and two World Cup qualifiers in June, with the Everton midfielder saying he would be fit enough to play in the tournament.
The federation earlier said Rodriguez was "not at the optimum level of competition" and would not join coach Reinaldo Rueda’s squad either for the Copa America that starts on June 13 or the Qatar 2022 qualifiers away in Peru on June 3 and at home to Argentina five days later.
Rodriguez, however, said while he may not be at full fitness for the Peru game he would be fit to face Argentina and "of course ready for the Copa America".
The federation's statement did not specify what the injury was, but the Everton player has missed several games this season with a calf problem.
Colombia were meant to co-host the Copa America with Argentina but civil unrest there prompted the South American Football Confederation to remove them as joint hosts.
No decision has been taken on where to play the 15 games that were scheduled for Colombia.
