Pablo Escobar: The Dark Influence on Soccer – The Untold Story of the 1989 Copa Libertadores Final

2023-12-10 09:20:06

One of the drug traffickers largest recognized in the entire world was Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria‘Capo’ originally from Colombia who formed a true ’empire of violence’ that spread throughout much of America.

Days following commemorating 30 years of his death following being killed by security forces DEA, FBI and members of the Colombian Police, Pablo Escobar continues to be one of the main faces of the power that the ‘Drug Cartels’ can impose.

Among the crimes attributed to the so-called ‘Patron of evil’ and main leader of Medellin poster They include: Drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, terrorism, bribery, smuggling, extortion, political corruption, etc.

However, Pablo Escobar He also ventured and learned the power of soccer handa way in which he found a new way of showing himself to the people as a great benefactorwhile he laundered money to increase his assets.

Pablo Escobar and football.

The Colombian native of Rio Negro in Antioquia, was part of the beginnings of the Medellin posterwhich initially began in the 1970s and under the order of the ‘Ochoa Vásquez Brothers’ (Jorge Luis, Juan David and Fabio), but finally Escobar rose as the undisputed leader of a real mafia.

His foray into football and with Atlético Nacional

Everything started for the love that Pablo He had one of the greatest teams in Medellín, National Athletica cast that achieved glory and its first title Libertadores Cup in 1989 with a template loaded with stars (René Higuita, Andrés EscobarLuis Fernando Herrera, Leonel Álvarez, Alexis García and Albeiro Usuriaga, among others), a fact in which many media and historians have focused on ‘alleged’ pressures under the name of Escobar.

It is important to highlight that the achievement achieved by the painting ‘Purslane’ on the field is irrefutable, so this writing emphasizes the facts and statements that speak of factors related to sports that might have contributed to the continental title.

The fanaticism of Pablo Escobar for Atlético Nacional was so big that the drug trafficker even invested large amounts of money in salaries and star signings with the intention of the Colombian team winning the Libertadores Cup in 1989the highest club competition in South America.

Pablo Escobar and the semifinals for Atlético Nacional

However, the help of the boss of the drug trafficking It was not only monetary since on many occasions the leader of the Medellin poster He even used his power to threaten several referees in order to receive help in certain matches.

A clear example of this phenomenon happened with the Argentine referees. Charles Sposito, Abel Gnecco and John Bava in the preview of the second leg semi-final of the Copa Libertadores between the National Athletic and the club Danube From Uruguay.

According to the statements of Esposito in an interview with Radio La Redit all started from his landing in Colombia, when he and his professional colleagues lived a true nightmare.

In his words, the trans-Andean referee explained: “Everything started from the moment we arrived at the airport in Medellín. The Colombian referees who came to receive us had already handed us over, we were obliged. We were going along the Montañita road where they told us ‘here they killed a referee, here they shot a linesman’. After a long wait we went to the hotel. We referees were not used to leaving the hotel.”

“They invited me to a dinner and I said no. I got up to pay and told the waitress to bring me a jug of water, because there was no drinking water at that time in Medellín. They knocked on my door and there was the girl with a small bottle. I reminded her that she had ordered a large one. They knock on the door once more and I ask “Juan to get up to open”he indicated.

The appearance of ‘Popeye’

It was at this moment where Carlos Esposito recognized the appearance of ‘Popeye’one of his best-known hitmen, who entered to threaten and bribe the Argentine shortlist.

“Four entered, one with a machine gun. TO Gnecco They put a nine millimeter in his head. And behind came the famous ‘Popeye’, well dressed, suit, tie. He was carrying a briefcase. She opened it and said ‘Here is 250 thousand dollars. Take him, don’t worry, they will leave Colombia without problems.’ We responded that we had gone to work properly. She closed the briefcase and told us. ‘Their lives here are worthless’ And in Buenos Aires it can cost us a thousand dollars each.’ And there they went,” he noted.

Later, he recounted the ‘last’ warning of Pablo Escobar before the crucial match once morest Danuberevealing that “we arrived at the locker room and the Medellín police chief and I explained to him that as soon as the game ended we had to go to the airport. He explained to me that if National won it would be difficult because of the party. “Poor man, if you watch the Escobar series, a few days later they shot him down.”.

The referee’s shortlist full of media, came out to blow the second leg of the semi-final in a duel that ended 6-0 in favor of Atlético Nacional, who advanced to the final of Libertadores Cup and where they faced Olimpia of Paraguay.

The final once morest Olimpia

It was thought that Escobar’s ‘pressure’ had ended in the duel once morest Danubio, but that was just a mirage since the same thing was repeated in the grand final once morest the ‘Dean’ of Paraguay.

At that time, the final of the continental competition was round-trip and the first duel played in the stadium Defenders of the Chacothe victory went to the home team by 2 to 0.

However, the second leg was played under a hostile climate in Medellín, since those weeks occurred a dozens of attacks, deaths and attacks on government officesmedia and figures from the political and cultural life of Colombia, something that raised tensions to the maximum in the run-up to the crucial party.

Given this scenario, Conmebol and both teams reached an agreement. The big game would be Bogota. Olympiad came to Colombia and settled in Caliheadquarters of another large drug cartel and which had Pablo Escobar and his gang as rivals.

However, those who suffered once more were the Argentine arbitration team that was made up of Juan Carlos Loustau, Jorge Romero and Francisco Lamolinawho had already been warned by the three previous victims who whistled the semifinal, regarding the power of the Medellin poster.

Referee shortlist of the 1989 Copa Libertadores final.

Once once more, one night before, it was no longer an armed group, but a single person who came to the table where the referees were eating, he left a briefcase on the floor and he opened his jacket, showing weapons and warning: “National has to win”.

This version was confirmed by Pablo Escobar’s own son, Juan Pablo Escobarwho changed his name to Juan Sebastian Marroquin Santos and that in an interview he corroborated (with some differences) what was detailed by Loustau.

In an interview, the son of the former drug trafficker commented that “the pressure he put on him was only to send him a couple of people who asked him ‘let it whistle well’ Otherwise I would have to settle things with my father”, a story similar to that of Juan Carlos Loustau.

In the second leg final, Atlético Nacional managed to equalize the aggregate score with an own goal from Fidel Miño and the annotation of Albeiro Usuriagaa result that stretched everything to a historic penalty shootout where 18 shots were taken from twelve steps.

Finally, ‘El Verde’ managed to win 5 to 4 in the stadium Nemesio Camacho El Campin from Bogotá and National Athletic won his first Libertadores Cup in 1989a contest that he once once more dominated in 2016 by the hand of Reinaldo Rueda and with players like Franco Armani, Dávinson Sánchez and Miguel Ángel Borja.

If you doubt that it is one of the most tense finals in the entire history of Libertadores Cup and where violence, threats, bribes, pressure and the figure of Pablo Escobarwho saw the end of his reign of violence on December 2, 1993 when a gunshot to the head ended his life.

Review a compact of the 1989 Copa Libertadores final where Atlético Nacional lifted its first continental trophy

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