Imagine getting so mad over a soccer game that you murder someone. Now, the story starts with this guy, Andres. And Andres is around 27 years old during this time, and he's living in Colombia, and he plays soccer for the national soccer team.
And everyone in Colombia loves this guy because Andres doesn't trash talk, he doesn't play dirty, he doesn't start fights. He's generally a positive dude who stays calm and humble. And soccer is a huge deal to Colombians.
They take that real seriously. So, Andres is not only famous, he's basically a national hero there. But then, one day in 1993, something happens that changes his life forever.
On this day, his team plays a big game against Argentina, and they destroy them, winning five to nothing. And this win changes everything because it means that Colombia will now go on to play in the World Cup. And this is as big a deal as it could possibly get.
And suddenly, the hype around Andres and his team explodes. Their entire country is ecstatic, rooting for them to bring home the trophy. And that's great for Andres.
I mean, this is a dream come true. Except, there's one very big problem. Not only are sports fans watching all this play out, but the Colombian drug cartel is also watching this play out.
And these guys are used to making millions of dollars from sports games by gambling and laundering money and, you know, other crimes. So, the drug cartels become heavily invested in this game, betting millions on Colombia to win. Thus, they stand to make enormous amounts of money depending on how well Andres and his team play.
So, the World Cup is not just about national pride. It's about keeping very dangerous people happy. So, in 1994, Andres and his team fly up to the US, to California, to play their first game of the cup, Colombia versus Romania.
And it doesn't go so well for them. They lose three to one. So, Andres and his team just got embarrassed on the world stage.
And this loss shocks the entire country, especially the drug cartel who just lost millions betting on it. It also means that Andres' team only has one more chance. If they lose this next game, they're eliminated from the World Cup.
And the drug cartel is not about to let that happen. They're going to monitor the team's every move, including which players the coach sends in to play. And here's where things begin to get really scary.
Back at the hotel Andres and his team are staying at in California, someone somehow hacks into the hotel television systems. And where you'd typically see a welcome message when you turn on the TV, now the message tells them not to let a certain player play, or the entire team will be killed and their families will be bombed. And this terrifies the players.
I mean, they all know the drug cartel is involved, and they now understand they're not just playing to win the tournament anymore. They're playing for their lives. But Andres, he stays positive.
He's a positive guy. He's ready to play his ass off and give it his all. So, the next big game comes, and it's Colombia versus the USA.
And over 90,000 soccer fans are there in the stadium watching. While back home in Colombia, everyone is watching there, too. Local businesses are closed for the day because everyone's at home watching, too, and their families are watching, and of course, the drug cartels are watching as well.
And so, these guys have to win this time. So, the big game starts. And right from the beginning, Andres plays as hard as he can, kicking that ball down the field and whatnot.
But here's where the story gets crazy. About 20 minutes go by and an American player tries to pass to his teammate and Andres tries to stop the pass. But then something unimaginable happens.
The ball deflects off his foot at an angle and it rolls past his own goalie straight into his own net. Meaning Andres just accidentally scored against his own team. And Andres is shocked and the fans are shocked and I'm sure the drug cartel goons are like screaming at their TVs.
They're so mad. And poor Andres immediately knows what this means for his team. This is it for them.
They're out. And so ultimately Colombia loses that game and eventually they go on to be eliminated from the World Cup entirely. And the entire country of Colombia is devastated by this and people are pissed off and the fans are all upset and everyone starts pointing the finger at Andres and that accidental goal that he made for the other team.
Then pretty quickly Andres and all his teammates start getting anonymous threatening phone calls from fans and from other people who bet on the game. And so the team pretty much decides to stay in the US until things cool down back home. But Andres, again, he's a positive guy.
He tries to stay cool. He doesn't want to hide from his fans. So he returns to Colombia.
And of course his friends and his family tell him that they're worried about his safety. His coach even tells him, "People are furious. It'll be dangerous for you on the streets.
So just stay inside. " And so with the whole country talking about him, he decides to address the public. He writes a column and he apologizes for the goal that he made and he says, "We must be gallant in victory but much more so in defeat.
Life doesn't end here. " Now he has no idea how significant these words are going to be and just how wrong he's about to be. So ten days after the game, Andres decides that he shouldn't keep hiding from the fans or from the public in shame.
I mean, it was an honest mistake, and people make mistakes all the time. He wants to get his mind off all that drama, so he goes out with his friends to a local nightclub. And for the first time, Andres feels good again, like he'll be able to move on from all this.
But, near his table, there's a group of men sitting at a different table. And in that group are these guys, the Gacha brothers. And the Gacha brothers are known criminals in the drug cartel.
And these guys had bet a massive amount of money on Colombia to win that game. So, when Andres scored that goal and Colombia lost, the Gacha brothers lost big, and they are still pissed off about it. And when they see Andres, they recognize him immediately, and things get ugly.
Like, they start heckling him for scoring against his own team, and they're like yelling things across the club. But Andres, he's chill, so he just ignores it. But the insults keep escalating.
So, Andres decides it's time to leave, and he walks outside to the parking lot, and he gets into his car. But the Gacha brothers and their bodyguard follow him outside, and the brothers continue insulting him. Now, Andres, being the chill person he's known to be, he tries to explain that the goal it was just an accident, something that could happen to any player on any team.
But these goons, they aren't interested in hearing any of that. They lost millions, and they want someone to blame. And suddenly, their bodyguard pulls out a gun, and blam blam blam blam blam blam.
He shoots Andres six times. And after each shot, he yells, "Goal! " mocking Andres's mistake.
Then, the men get into their vehicle, and they flee the scene. And Andres, unfortunately, doesn't make it. All that because of a game of soccer.
Now, the Gacha brothers ordered the hit, but their bodyguard ultimately takes the fall for them, and eventually, bam, he gets arrested. Here's his mugshot. Now, this part's definitely going to make you mad.
Allegedly, the Gacha brothers bribed the prosecutor's office, and so they're never charged with anything. But their bodyguard is sentenced to 43 years in prison. However, because of their connections, he gets out after only serving 11 years.
