"March 2005. Violence by fans has also affected players, including professional athletes, but this is rare. One example includes a message to Christian Vieri, apparently by an Inter Milan fan, which threatened to burn down his restaurant, criticising his attitude towards the team. There is also the notorious incident where the Colombian international player Andrés Escobar was murdered shortly after returning home from the 1994 World Cup. This was reputedly for scoring the own goal which eliminated Colombia from the competition. There have been a number of accidents and disasters in the history of football. Some of these, such as"
"However, the team were eliminated in the first round after Andrés Escobar scored a notorious own goal, an act for which an irate gambler shot him dead after his return home. Colombia returned to the competition in 1998 with expectations lowered, and once again they were eliminated in the first round. They did not qualify for a World Cup final again until the 2014 edition, ending a 16-year absence. Colombia has been credited with a new talented golden generation, led by James Rodríguez, who won the Golden Ball for scoring six goals during the tournament as the Colombians reached their"
"later surfaced he was murdered by hired killers, ordered by criminal Jefferson Valdez Marín who was dating his former girlfriend. Albeiro Usuriaga Albeiro Usuriaga López (12 June 1966 – 11 February 2004) was a Colombian footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ""El Palomo"", he played professionally in Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela, before being murdered at the age of 37. Usuriaga first came to prominence with Medellín's Atlético Nacional, scoring four goals in a 6–0 win against Danubio F.C. for the 1989 edition of the Libertadores Cup and adding another against Club Olimpia in the"
"Wynalda, formed the core of the U.S. national team for most of the decade and played an important role in the development of MLS. U.S. fared better as the host nation in the 1994 World Cup, upsetting Colombia 2–1 in a group stage match to advance to the Round of 16. Harkes contributed to the Andrés Escobar own goal which arguably led to the Colombian defender's shooting death weeks later. Harkes delivered a cross from the left aimed at Earnie Stewart, which Escobar attempted to clear, but instead sent the ball past his goalkeeper. However, Harkes missed the Round of"
"had to win to have any chance of progressing. On the 35th minute Andrés Escobar attempted to cut out a cross but accidentally deflected the ball into his own net. Earnie Stewart took the US two goals in front after scoring in the 56th minute. Valencia scored a consolation goal for Colombia in the closing minutes of the match. They did win their final group match 2–0 over Switzerland, but it was not enough to help them progress. Tragically, Escobar died on 2 July 1994 as it is believed that his own goal, vs the United States, caused huge losses"
"Albeiro Usuriaga Albeiro Usuriaga López (12 June 1966 – 11 February 2004) was a Colombian footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ""El Palomo"", he played professionally in Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela, before being murdered at the age of 37. Usuriaga first came to prominence with Medellín's Atlético Nacional, scoring four goals in a 6–0 win against Danubio F.C. for the 1989 edition of the Libertadores Cup and adding another against Club Olimpia in the final (2–0 in the second leg in Paraguay), in an eventual penalty shootout win. Goalkeeper René Higuita was amongst his"
"penalty from which Shinji Kagawa opened the scoring in a 2–1 win for the Japanese; only José Batista of Uruguay in 1986 was sent off quicker. Sánchez received death threats for his red card, which were likened by BBC Sport to the assassination of Colombia player Andrés Escobar for his own goal at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Manager José Pékerman dedicated the team's 3–0 win over Poland to the suspended Sánchez. Sánchez is married to Noelia Polvoria, whom he met in Montevideo. Colombia Carlos Sánchez Moreno Carlos Alberto Sánchez Moreno (born 6 February 1986) is a Colombian professional footballer"
"in their group. Marcos Coll Marcos Tulio Coll Tesillo (23 August 1935 – 5 June 2017) also known as ""El Olímpico"" was a Colombian professional footballer who played for Junior de Barranquilla and other clubs, and represented Colombia in the 1962 FIFA World Cup. He was famous for scoring the only Olympic goal in any FIFA World Cup, beating legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin in a 4–4 draw against the Soviets in 1962. Coll was born in Barranquilla in 1935. He started his career with Sporting Barranquilla (1952-55). In 1956, he played for Independiente Medellín and played his first match for"
"base. Colombia had its strongest period during the 1990s. A 1993 match resulted in a 5–0 win over Argentina which began a special ""mutual respect"" rivalry between both nations. The goalkeeper René Higuita achieved fame from his eccentric scorpion kick clearance against England at Wembley Stadium in 1995. Stars from Colombia's team included Carlos Valderrama and Faustino Asprilla. During this era Colombia qualified for the 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups, only reaching the second round in 1990. Following the murder of Andrés Escobar after the 1994 World Cup, Colombia's team faded in the latter half of the 1990s. They"
"of the 1994 World Cup under Bora Milutinović, the U.S. opened its tournament schedule with a 1–1 tie against Switzerland in the Pontiac Silverdome in the suburbs of Detroit, the first World Cup game played indoors. In its second game, the U.S. faced Colombia, then ranked fourth in the world, at the Rose Bowl. Aided by an own goal from Andrés Escobar, the U.S. won 2–1. Escobar was later murdered in his home country, possibly in retaliation for this mistake. Despite a 1–0 loss to Romania in its final group game, the U.S. made it past the initial round for"
"Marcos Coll Marcos Tulio Coll Tesillo (23 August 1935 – 5 June 2017) also known as ""El Olímpico"" was a Colombian professional footballer who played for Junior de Barranquilla and other clubs, and represented Colombia in the 1962 FIFA World Cup. He was famous for scoring the only Olympic goal in any FIFA World Cup, beating legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin in a 4–4 draw against the Soviets in 1962. Coll was born in Barranquilla in 1935. He started his career with Sporting Barranquilla (1952-55). In 1956, he played for Independiente Medellín and played his first match for Colombia in a"
"in any games of the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification, but he was called up for the World Cup. Escobar's own goal occurred in a match against the United States on June 22, in the second match for Colombia at the 1994 World Cup. Stretching to block a cross from American midfielder John Harkes, he inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net. The United States won the game, 2–1. After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Escobar decided to return to Colombia instead of visiting relatives in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the evening of July 1, 1994, five days after"
"Colombian national team, playing in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups. His most important and most memorable goal is the one he scored against West Germany in Milan, Italy on June 19 during the 1990 World Cup. Playing into injury time, Colombia needed a goal to draw the game and avoid elimination from the tournament at the group stages. When played through by a pass from Carlos Valderrama, Rincon held his nerve and calmly fired the ball through the legs of the German goalkeeper to secure the draw his team needed. During a qualifying match for the 1994 FIFA"
"States, an unwanted incident occurred, when Andrés Escobar scored an own goal, leading to Colombia's elimination. Escobar was later murdered following the own goal in Colombia. Colombia ended their qualification for the 1998 World Cup in third place with 28 points, two points below first-place Argentina with 30 points. Colombia was assigned to the Group G alongside Tunisia, England and Romania. Romania obtained a 1–0 victory in the first match. Colombia's second match was a 1–0 win against Tunisia, with a goal from Leider Preciado. In the last match, however, England won the game 2–0, thereby eliminating Colombia. The 2001"
"closing minutes of the match. They did win their final group match 2–0 over Switzerland, but it was not enough to help them progress Group A Six days after Colombia's last match against Switzerland, Andrés Escobar was shot in Medellín by known drug cartel criminals. Escobar had previously scored an own goal in the Group Stage match against the United States. Colombia began their qualification rounds in South America well and ended in third place with 28 points, 2 points below Argentina who was in 1st place with 30 points. They ended in Group G with Tunisia, England, and Romania."
"shot by Lozano gave Colombia a 2-0 victory over Switzerland. However, news that Romania had won against the US meant Colombia was out and going home. Six days later, on July 2, Escobar was shot to death outside a bar in a Medellín suburb. According to Escobar's girlfriend, the killer shouted """"¡Gooooooooooooool!"""" (mimicking South American sporting commentators for their calls after a goal is scored) for each of the 12 bullets fired. The murder was widely believed to be a punishment for the own goal scored in the game against the United States. Group A - Final Standings Colombia at"
"Colombian footballers have been shot the last 20 years, the most notable being Andrés Escobar. Other firearms victims include former Atlético Nacional players Albeiro Usuriaga, who was killed in Cali one year earlier, Omar Cañas, Martin Zapata, Elson Becerra, Jairo Zulbarán and Felipe Pérez Urrea. Lucio España Lucio Fernando España López (29 October 1971 — 2 June 2005) was a Colombian footballer. The defender helped Atlético Nacional win the national league title in 1999, and also played for Atlético Bucaramanga, Real Cartagena, Atlético Junior, and Deportivo Pereira. España played well for Cortuluá during 1995, but a move to Deportivo Cali"
"the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he also played in two editions of the Copa América in 1989 and 1993. Wilson Pérez Wilson Enrique Pérez Pérez (born August 9, 1967 in Barranquilla) is a retired Colombian football defender who was capped 47 times and scored 3 international goals for the Colombia national team between 1989 and 1997, including three matches at the 1994 World Cup. Pérez started his professionalplaying career in 1985 with América de Cali, he was part of the successful team that won several championships. In 1996, he joined Deportivo Unicosta. From 1998 onwards he played single seasons with"
"Marta. Jairo Zulbarán Jairo Luís Zulbarán known as Calanche (7 January 1970 – 15 March 2002) was a Colombian football forward. Born in Santa Marta, Zulbarán began his professional football career with Unión Magdalena and would play for Sporting de Barranquilla, Independiente Medellín, Millonarios and Unicosta. He is one of Unicosta's all-time leading goal-scorers. He ended his career early after having problems with his knee ligaments. Zulbarán competed for Colombia at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. In March 2002, Zulbarán was shot dead in a public market in downtown"
"Jairo Zulbarán Jairo Luís Zulbarán known as Calanche (7 January 1970 – 15 March 2002) was a Colombian football forward. Born in Santa Marta, Zulbarán began his professional football career with Unión Magdalena and would play for Sporting de Barranquilla, Independiente Medellín, Millonarios and Unicosta. He is one of Unicosta's all-time leading goal-scorers. He ended his career early after having problems with his knee ligaments. Zulbarán competed for Colombia at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. In March 2002, Zulbarán was shot dead in a public market in downtown Santa"
"phrase ""made him"" as a pundit, as people would shout it at him in public places. Commentating on the Argentina–Romania match in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Hansen said that ""the Argentine defender warrants shooting for a mistake like that"". The previous day, Colombian defender Andrés Escobar had been shot dead, a killing widely attributed to punishment for an own goal Escobar scored in Colombia's 2–1 loss to the United States earlier in the same tournament. The BBC issued a public apology for Hansen's poor choice of words. During an appearance on ""Match of the Day"" on 21 December 2011,"
"the elimination of Colombia from the World Cup, Escobar called his friends, and they went to a bar in the El Poblado neighborhood in Medellín. Then they went to a liquor store. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up. At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when three men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns. Escobar was shot six times with a .38 caliber pistol. It was reported that the killer shouted ""¡Gol!"" (""Goal!"") after"
"Hernán Gaviria Hermán Gaviria Carvajal (27 November 1969 – 24 October 2002) was a Colombian footballer, who played as a central midfielder. During his career, Gaviria played for Atlético Nacional, Deportes Tolima, Deportivo Cali, Atlético Bucaramanga and Shonan Bellmare of the J2 League. He earned a total of 27 caps for his national team, scoring 3 goals and being selected for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States; in the last group stage match, as Colombia was already ousted, he netted in a 2–0 win against Switzerland. Previously, Gaviria participated in the football tournament at the 1992 Summer"
"sure to come, Colombia began to control the game and at halftime was winning 0-1, thanks to the speed and accuracy of the player Freddy Rincón after a precise pass from Carlos Valderrama in the minute 41. For the second half Colombia took Argentina's need and scored the other four goals, as follows: While the Argentinian public wasn't believing what was happening, Colombia managed to close a historic day for the Colombian football and world football. After the game, the group results were as follows: With the win, Colombia automatically qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, while Argentina had"
"drunk, as the reasons for his crime. Javier Flórez Javier Antonio Flórez Valoyes (born May 18, 1982) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for Cúcuta Deportivo. Flórez was jailed in 2009 for shooting dead a fan after a game. Flórez, a midfielder was playing for Junior Barranquilla against Once Caldas in a two-leg match. The victim, 33-year-old Israel Cantillo, was shot twice, and Flórez fled the scene. Cantillo was a fan of Flórez's team Junior. Flórez's lawyers agreed to pay $150 million compensation to the victim's family, and as a consequence Flórez was released from jail in September 2009."
"Argentine Football Association after testing positive for cocaine. After playing in various levels of football, he retired from the game in 2003, at the age of 37. Usuriaga gained 15 caps for Colombia, during three years. His only international goal came during the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification playoffs against Israel, the only goal in the two legs. Usuriaga was later, however, omitted from the final squad in Italy due to disciplinary problems. On 11 February 2004, 37-year-old Usuriaga was gunned down while playing a card game in a nightclub district in his hometown of Cali, in unclear circumstances. It"
"playing, Gómez became a football coach. He has managed Envigado, Atlético Nacional, Unión Magdalena and Atlético Bucaramanga in Colombia, Deportivo Quito in Ecuador and Caracas FC in Venezuela. During nearly one full decade, Gómez was capped 49 times for Colombia, scoring twice. He represented the nation in two FIFA World Cups, 1990 and 1994, and three Copa América tournaments: 1987, 1989 and 1993. In the World Cup, Gómez started in all four of his country's matches in 1990, as Colombia ousted in the round of 16 against Cameroon. Four years later, in the United States, he received death threats from"
"Arnoldo Iguarán Arnoldo Alberto Iguarán Zúñiga (born 18 January 1957), also known as ""El Guajiro"", is a former Colombian footballer who played as a forward. He earned 68 caps for the Colombia national team between 1979 and 1993, playing at the 1990 FIFA World Cup and two Copa América tournaments. With 25 international goals, he was the nation's sole top scorer of all time until Radamel Falcao tied him in 2015. Born in Riohacha, Iguarán started and ended his club football career with Cúcuta Deportivo. He spent 12 years at Millonarios, and won the Colombian league in 1987 and 1988"
"América, where they defeated Brazil 2–0, the first goal was scored by Antony de Ávila, and the second one was scored by the ""El Guájiro"" Iguarán himself, in the 66th minute of the match. ""Scores and results lists Colombia's goal tally first."" Since 1991, Iguarán had been considered Colombia's all-time goal scorer with 25 goals until Radamel Falcao tied him in 2015. During Falcao's 24th goal in a friendly match against Kuwait, a match commentator on Colombian television claimed that Falcao had tied Iguarán at 24 goals sparking a nationwide debate on whether Iguarán had scored 24 or 25 goals."
"which eliminated his team 2–1. Escobar was later shot to death outside a bar in a Medellín suburb only ten days after the match, apparently in retaliation for the own goal. Colombia finished top of their qualifying group without having lost a match, which included a historic 5–0 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires. Expectations of the team were high, some even naming them as favourites to win the tournament. The match in Group A between Colombia and Romania was the first game for either side in the group phase; Colombia lost 1–3 to Romania. The team went into their"
"in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2014 and 2018. Its best presentation was in 2014, when the team reached the quarter-finals and James Rodríguez became top scorer of the tournament. The only ""olympic goal"" (a goal made directly from one corner shot) in the World Cup was scored for Colombia by Marcos Coll, beating legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin in a 4–4 draw with the Soviet Union in 1962. A golden era existed for the national team from the mid-1980s towards the late 1990s when it became one of the most powerful teams in football, with a generation of talented players such as"
"Faryd Mondragón Faryd Camilo Mondragón Alí (born 21 June 1971) is a retired Colombian footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for Deportivo Cali in the Colombian First Division. Since his debut in 1993, he has played over 50 times for the Colombian national team, making him alongside Mario Yepes the last active members of the original 1990s golden generation of Colombian football. He was named in the Colombian squads for the 1992 Olympics, two Copa América tournaments, two CONCACAF Gold Cups, and the World Cups of 1994, 1998 and 2014. On 24 June 2014, Mondragón made history by becoming"
"houses and football fields in western Colombia, which gained him popularity among the locals of the towns that he frequented. However, Colombia became the ""murder capital of the world"", and Escobar was vilified by the Colombian and American governments. In 1993, Escobar was shot and killed in his hometown by Colombian National Police, one day after his 44th birthday. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on 1 December 1949, in Rionegro, in the Antioquia Department of Colombia. He was the third of seven children of the farmer Abel de Jesús Dari Escobar Echeverri (1910–2001), with his wife Hemilda de los"