The Americans eventually won 2-1 and effectively condemned Colombia to elimination from the competition. From that moment on, Escobar's fate was predetermined by the betting mafia.
Immediately after his team's elimination, the 26-year-old returned with the rest of the delegation to Colombia and then went to his hometown of Medellin, known at the time as the cocaine capital of the world. On the evening of 1 July, Escobar invited some of his close friends to have a drink in a bar[/B] in Medellin. They continued their entertainment at the El Indio club and at around 3 a.m. on 2 July the group split up.
Escobar headed to the parking lot of the nightclub to get his car. There, three men had set up a stakeout and began arguing with him. Then, one of them pulled out a thirty-eight pistol and shouted at length "Goal!"-in the manner of Latin American football commentators-shot him repeatedly. Then the three men got into a van and disappeared. The bloodied footballer was taken by passers-by to the local hospital, where he died after 45 minutes.
On the evening of the same day, Umberto Castro Munyos, a bodyguard in the service of the powerful Medellin cocaine cartel, was arrested, who the following day admitted that he was Escobar's killer. He also worked as a driver for Santiago Galon, a local drug dealer who allegedly bet big on Colombia's qualification.
Escobar's killer took all the blame and in June 1995 was sentenced to 46 years in prison. In the end, he served only 11 years and was released from prison for good behaviour in 2005. It is generally believed that Escobar was punished by the betting mafia, which had invested large sums in Colombia to qualify for the next stage of the US World Cup.
The unfortunate footballer was buried in mourning in the presence of 120,000 people. He was much loved in Medellin and a philanthropist, as every Christmas he drove his car around the city's slums and distributed gifts to children. In 2002 the municipality of Medellin erected a statue in his memory.
Source: sansimera.gr
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