Murder of Andrés Escobar: the Colombian footballer shot dead after an own goal at the 1994 World Cup
The Colombian national team defender was murdered in Medellín ten days after scoring an own goal against the United States, a crime linked to the violent environment of drug trafficking that dominated the city.
Murder of Andrés Escobar: the Colombian footballer shot dead after an own goal at the 1994 World Cup
Ten days after making an error that cost Colombia their elimination from the 1994 football World Cup, defender Andrés Escobar was shot dead in Medellín. The gunmen mentioned the own goal before executing him, turning the crime into a symbol of the violence that plagued the country.
The murder occurred in a context of extreme insecurity. Medellín recorded more than six thousand homicides annually and was considered the most dangerous city on the planet. The drug cartel led by Pablo Escobar—who had no family relation to the footballer—had declared all-out war on the State in 1989. During the following four years, his hired killers murdered 657 police officers. The kingpin was killed by a special unit in 1993, six months before the American tournament, leaving the city plunged into chaos.
Drug trafficking had deeply penetrated Colombian football. The cartels financed clubs, built stadiums and used betting, transfers and money laundering to diversify their operations. Atlético Nacional of Medellín, captained by Andrés Escobar, unexpectedly won the Copa Libertadores thanks to these illicit resources. National team players maintained contacts with the criminal underworld: on one occasion, several footballers were secretly transported to a private pitch on Pablo Escobar's estate to play a friendly match.
Goalkeeper René Higuita paid a price for that proximity. He defined himself as a friend of the drug trafficker and attempted to mediate in a kidnapping, a practice prohibited by Colombian legislation at that time. He spent several months imprisoned in Bogotá and was ruled out of the World Cup squad.
Despite everything, the national team arrived in the United States with high expectations. They had crushed Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires and Pelé had tipped them as title candidates. However, a surprising defeat against Romania in their opening match unleashed the fury of the gambling mafia. The players received threats in their hotel rooms. After Escobar's own goal in the 2-1 defeat against the host team, Colombia was eliminated. Ten days later, the defender was intercepted in the car park of a bar in Medellín and received multiple gunshots.
According to NZZ, the murder continues to be remembered as an episode that illustrates how organised crime became intertwined with sport at a time when the South American country was synonymous with cocaine and violence.
Source: NZZ