Words: Sam White // @samwhxyz
Few figures in modern history have had such a complex and contradictory impact on their nation as Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria. Known around the world as the ruthless drug kingpin of the Medellín Cartel, he was a man who craved legitimacy, admiration and influence. Football was his weapon of choice.
Pablo Escobar’s impact on Colombian football throughout the 1980s and early 1990s was significant. At times, his influence elevated the national sport to new heights and, at others, draged it down to a murky underworld of blatant corruption, mob violence and dirty money.
Escobar’s involvement in football was not merely that of a passionate fan or a generous benefactor. His ill-gotten gains flowed into the game, transforming clubs into all-conquering powerhouses and players into national heroes. But beneath the paper-thin veneer of glamour, football in Colombia was shamelessly used as a tool to launder profits of the drug trade and assert the cartel’s control over local communities who feared and revered Escobar in equal measure.
Pablo Escobar posing for a picture.
Photo Credit: IMDb
Before the influx of the Medellín millions, Colombian football was struggling to make its mark internationally. Unlike their South American neighbours Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, Los Cafeteros had never won major honours or produced world-class talent. While the domestic league offered a decent quality of football, it lacked the financial resources to attract foreign superstars or retain its top names. Stadiums were typically half-empty, club facilities were run-down and many of the country’s best players sought moves abroad.
That changed somewhat with the rise of Colombia’s drug cartels in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The explosion of the illicit cocaine trade brought astronomical sums of money into the country’s economy - but it needed scrubbing. Football, with its lax financial regulation and substantial transactions which went unquestioned, was the perfect vehicle.
This set the stage for the most controversial era of Colombian football history - one where the ‘narcos’ became the sport’s most powerful men.
In truth, it wasn’t all a front. Escobar was a fan of football. He often played in local matches and organised games with professionals, bodyguards and politicians. But his ambitions went far beyond a friendly kick-about.
He saw football as a way to elevate his profile among the people of Medellín and gain legitimacy. By funnelling his riches into Atlético Nacional, the city’s most-supported club, he transformed the club into the pride of Colombia. El Verde had historically struggled to compete with the elite sides of Bogotá and Cali, but suddenly had the financial backing to attract some of the best players in South America.
Escobar supported smaller, lower-division clubs too, funding new stadia and sponsoring amateur tournaments in Medellín’s slums. To the poor residents of the barrios, he was not a heinous criminal, but more akin to a modern-day Robin Hood.
But as we know, there was an ulterior motive behind Escobar’ philanthropy. Football was the ideal cover for a vast money-laundering operation. Millions of dollars from the cocaine trade were funnelled through football clubs via transfers fees, player salaries and inflated sponsorship deals.
The impact was felt almost immediately, as Colombian clubs became some of the richest in the Americas. Atlético Nacional, in particular, began to dominate the domestic scene.
Escobar at one of the local football clubs he funded.
Photo Credit: The Sporting Blog
Bolstered by Escobar’s backing - both financially and through his influence - Atlético Nacional lifted the Copa Libertadores, South America’s most prestigious club competition, in 1989. They were the first Colombian team to ever win the trophy, a milestone in the nation’s footballing history.
Of course, the team’s achievement was tainted. There were widespread accusations of threats made by cartel enforcers to match officials. The most notorious case came during Nacional’s semi-final against Uruguay’s Danubio, where the referee was allegedly held at gunpoint to ensure a favourable result for the Colombian side.
The Libertadores final against Olimpia of Paraguay was also shrouded in controversy when Nacional won a penalty shootout. Allegations persisted that the referee had again been coerced. The sad reality was clear: Nacional were untouchable. With Escobar’s influence, they almost had the look of the military clubs of the Soviet Bloc.
Shady business aside, there was no denying the quality of the football on display for all to see. The famous Nacional side featured homegrown stars like René Higuita, Andrés Escobar (no relation) and Leonel Álvarez, who played a front-footed style that gained international admiration.
For many Colombians, the pride of seeing a local team dominate South America was enough to turn a blind eye.
Atlético Nacional celebrate with the Copa Libertadores trophy in 1989.
Photo Credit: Goal
Escobar didn’t just fund football from a safe distance - he actively engaged with his players. Some were known to have visited La Catedral, the luxurious villa Escobar was allowed to build for himself to serve a custodial sentence in 1991. Kept under close watch by the authorities, Higuita, Colombia’s flamboyant goalkeeper, was particularly close to Escobar. ‘El Loco’ later found himself in hot water for facilitating a hostage negotiation.
Andrés Escobar, on the other hand, was known for his humility and clean-cut image. He became one of many unfortunate victims of the narco-football era. His murder in 1994, after scoring an own goal in the USA World Cup, is widely blamed on a cartel hitman.
René Higuita performing his infamous scorpion kick.
Photo Credit: Netflix
In December 1993, while hiding from the law, Pablo Escobar was cornered and killed by Colombian special forces and a CIA task force. His death marked the end of an era for drug money in football.
With Escobar gone and César Gaviria’s government cracking down on narco-financed clubs, the golden age of Colombian club football faded as quickly as it had emerged. Atlético Nacional and other teams struggled financially, and Colombian football as a whole fell into decline.
Escobar’s impact still looms large. Some fans are now nostalgic for the period, remembering how Colombian clubs reached unprecedented heights and the national team became a continental power. Others see it as a stain on the good name of the sport, and a time when football was manipulated by brazen criminals who believed they were above the law.
Colombian football has moved on, but echoes of the narco-football era remain. The country went on to produce more world-class talent like Radamel Falcao, James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz. In women’s football, Chelsea broke the world transfer record to secure the signature of striker Mayra Ramírez.
However, Colombia’s domestic league has never returned to the heights it experienced in the late 20th century, when drug lords ruled the roost.
Escobar’s appearing in an Atlético Nacional mural.
Photo Credit: These Football Times