SHOOTING FOR VARIOUS REASONS

If you need a cup of coffee, then there is a chance that the coffee beans have come from Colombia; if you actually don't need one now, why not go out and buy some, just to help their economy. 

Colombia's team lies 16th in FIFA's list, a national federation founded in 1924, joining FIFA in 1936. They stated that the football team should be a "sign of national pride, nationalism and passion". Well they certainly showed that enthusiasm surrounding the referee at every opportunity and finally failing at the last minute. All credit to them for giving it a go..but it wasn't enough; the ref was poor.

Los Cafeteros, as they are known, fly home to South America and will wait another year or so to qualify for the next World Stage event.
We remember Rene Higuita, El Loco, their crazy goalkeeper, who performed the famous scorpion kick in 1995 at Wembley in a friendly.....see this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-flTPSSvCw

And let's not forget Carlos Valderrama, the county's most capped player; 111 caps-11 goals, not a great return but..... The Colombian national team was a favourite to win the USA based, 1994 World Cup, following a stunning qualification campaign. The Colombians had beaten Argentina for the first time in 30 goes, winning 2-0 at home. On September 5th 1993 they needed to avoid defeat in a return fixture against Argentina in Buenos Aires. They trounced Argentina 5-0! Pele tipped them to be World champions, but the Colombian team was a shadow of the former self, from eight months earlier. In 2006, a 22-foot bronze statue of Valderrama (to the right) was erected outside Estadio Eduardo Santos in Valderrama's birthplace of Santa Marta.

Central defender, Andres Escobar (below) lost his life in an assassination, apparently, causing offence to "compatriots" for "scoring an own goal", in a crucial match in a 1994 World Cup match against the USA, when he deflected a cross from USA's, John Harkes, creating a 1-2 defeat. Escobar slid into cut out USA's, John Harkes' cross, but succeeded in turning the ball into his own net!

After the match, back home, during a night out, Escobar was cornered in a Medellin night club, car park on July 1st. He got involved in an arguement with a man, who was a hit man for a drug cartel that had lost a lot of money gambled on the game. Escobar was shot six times in the chest, by a killer who shouted out "Gol!" after every shot...mimicking the TV commentator who was reporting the match. Humberto Munzo was found guilty of the murder. 120,000 turned out  to line the streets for the funeral.

Needless to say, Escobar's family set up a trust to raise money to help poor young Colombians enjoy football. Below Escobar, 10 days, before his murder.....

Two days later, Alan Hansen commentated in a match, that an Argentina defender in  match against Romania "needed shooting"...the BBC apologised.