Colombia Soccer

Colombia entered the World Cup in 1994 with high expectations from their country. They were one of the favorites to win the cup in the United States. However, the events that unfolded at the World Cup that summer would prove to be disasterous , tragic, and dangerous.

In Colombia , soccer is an important aspect of life. It is a way of expressing country pride and bonding with fellow countrymen. Just the fact that South American nations have less money than America shows how soccer takes on a different meaning down there . It's more than just a game, it's a way of life.

In the qualifying matches leading up to the World Cup , Colombia looked invincible. A 5-0 win over powerhouse Argentina on their homefield indicated that Colombia was now one of the best and were contenders for a world championship . Their defense was solid, especially the play of number two, Andres Escober whom the Colombians referred to as , "Cabalerro," meaning soccer gentleman . The expectations for the Colombian soccer team to win the World Cup were set so high that Colombian coaches and players were recieving threatening calls from drug dealers and betting syndicates. This caused a sense of nervousness among the players.

That summer at the World Cup in the United States, their was talk in the newspapers and television about how good Colombia was going to do. In their first game played, they lost to Hungary 3-1. This was an upset that no one had expected.

Their second game was against the United States. Colombia was heavily favored to win this match. In the second half, the score was 1-1. The unthinkable happened. The United States was driving hard when a Colombian defender slid in an attempt to intercept the pass, the ball went off his foot and into his own goal. The United States won the match 2-1 and Colombia was ousted from the world Cup prematurely.

Andres Escobar kicked the ball into his teams own goal and the Colombian people were deeply saddened. Colombian drug cartel members who had money bet on their team lost millions. And ten days after the Colombia - United States match , the 27 year old Colombian player who accidently scored in his own goal was shot to death by Humberto Munoz Castro. The shooting took place outside of a bar in a suburb of Medellin . Home to the Medelin Cartel, Medelin is known to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world with a high rate of murder.

This young man was murdered for no reason. Why wasnt the whole team killed? Even if Escobar wouldnt have kicked that ball into his own goal, the Colombians still would have lost . They were not playing well.


Today , 12 years later, Colombia has not been back to a World Cup. Are the players scared? Also earlier this year, Escobar's murderer was released from prison for good behavior. His sentence was originally 48 years. This would never happen in America. If an athlete was murdered, with all our money and lawyers, they would convict the murderer and "throw away the keys."

Still, Colombians are peaceful people. Until this day , they are still hurt by the loss of Andres Escobar.