IS FOOTBALL A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH?

This Blog comes from a few years back, but was published on this day and month. If you need a cup of coffee after a penalty shoot-out, then there is a chance that the coffee has come from Colombia. If not, go buy some Colombian coffee anyway, from your local supermarket, just to help the nation's economy!!  It is a national federation founded in 1924, joining FIFA in 1936.  During a World Cup tournament, the Colombian nation stated that their 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 to win 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, flew home to South America and had to wait another year or so to qualify for the next World Stage event. Up to date.....

FIFA ranking
Current	14  2 (3 April 2025)
Highest	3 (July–August 2013, September 2014 – March 2015, June–Aug 2016)
Lowest	54 (June 2011)
First international
Colombia 4–1 Costa Rica  (Barranquilla, Colombia; 17 February 1926)
Biggest win
Bahrain 0–6 Colombia  (Riffa, Bahrain; 26 March 2015)
Biggest defeat
Brazil 9–0 Colombia  (Lima, Peru; 24 March 1957)

We remember Rene Higuita, El Loco, their crazy goalkeeper 
who performed the famous scorpion kick in 1995 at Wembley in a friendly....try these links!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-flTPSSvCw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRj3dKKp9tI

and Andres Escobar who lost his life to an assassination for scoring an own goal in a crucial match in a 1994 World Cup match against the USA, when he deflected a shot from John Harkes, creating a 1-2 defeat. The story goes......Escobar was shot and killed in Medellín aged 27. It is believed that he was murdered because he scored an own goal against his team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup which caused the USA to win 2 – 1 and caused gambling losses to a lot of powerful drugs' lord.

After a night out, Escobar was cornered in a car park on July 1st and shot six times 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. He was a hit man for a drug cartel whose top man had lost a lot of money gambled on the game.
Needless to say, Escobar's family set up a trust to raise money to help poor young Colombians enjoy football.
Two days later Alan Hansen commentated in a match that an Argentina defender in  match against Romania "needed shooting"...the BBC apologised!!!
And let's not forget Carlos Valderrama (below), the country's most capped player; 111 caps-11 goals.
Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio born 2 September 1961), also known as "El Pibe" ("The Kid"), is a Colombian former professional footballer and sports' commontator, who played as an midfielder. Valderrama is considered by many to be one of the greatest South American players in history and one of the best players of his era. In 2004, he was named by Pele in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.