Andres Escobar was shot dead days after he scored an own goal in the 1994 World Cup, leading to Columbia being knocked out. Now, a drug trafficker linked to the killing has been found dead
A drug lord with links to the killing of Colombian footballer Andres Escobar after he scored an own goal during the 1994 World Cup has been shot dead in Mexico. Santiago Gallon – an alleged Colombian drug trafficker who was sentenced to prison in 2010 for financing paramilitary groups – was found dead on Wednesday.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed Gallon had killed Escobar, a murder that “destroyed the country’s international image”. The murder took place in Medellin, Colombia, days after Colombia’s national football team, one of the favourites that year, lost in an upset to the United States.
Mexico prosecutors confirmed that a body believed to be Gallon was found on Wednesday in Huixquilucan, outside the capital. It was undergoing forensic examination to confirm the identity.
Escobar was shot several times outside a disco in Medellin on July 2, 1994 by Humberto Munoz Castro, Gallon’s driver, after being harangued about the own goal. Munoz Castro, who had connections to a powerful Colombian cartel, was arrested and confessed to the killing.
He refused to implicate his bosses. Found guilty, Munoz was initially handed a 43-year jail term. He served only 11 years.
Escobar, a central defender, begun his career at local side Atletico Nacional back in 1985, and returned to the club in 1990 following a short spell with Young Boys in Switzerland. At the time of 1994 World Cup, Escobar is said to have been offered a contract with AC Milan, and was a key part of the international squad that had beaten Argentina 5-0 to secure qualification.
Despite the nation having high hopes for Francisco Maturana’s side, they got off to the worst possible start with a 3-1 defeat in Los Angeles to a Gheorghe Hagi-inspired Romania.
Going into the second fixture, Colombia were favourites in a must-win game against hosts the United States, but an early own goal from Escobar was compounded by Earnie Stewart’s strike before Adolfo Valencia’s consolation.
In the 35th minute, John Harkes sent a cross into the box towards Stewart, and in his attempts to prevent the opposition getting to the ball, Escobar accidently guided it beyond Oscar Cordoba and into the net.
Following a third group game, and third defeat, for Colombia against Switzerland in California, Escobar returned to his native Medellin and planned to attend a nightclub with friends, insisting that he had no plans to hide.
Six days after suffering World Cup elimination, Escobar was approached by three men while sitting in his car, two of whom brought out handguns and began arguing with the footballer.
Escobar was shot six times and rushed to hospital, where he would die 45 minutes later.
Humberto Castro Munoz, a bodyguard for members of a powerful drug cartel, was arrested the following day on July 2, and he later confessed to the killing of Escobar.
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