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10 ways soccer and organized crime mix in Latin America

Soccer has long been a unifying force in Latin America. But 'the beautiful game' has attracted some of the most infamous drug kingpins in the region, something that's corrupted players, officials, and even whole clubs.

10. Teams move to the top: Pablo Escobar and Atletico Nacional

Pablo Escobar was a huge soccer fan and a chief contributor to one of the city of Medellin's professional teams, Atletico Nacional.

This was as much a business decision as a show of support for a favorite team. Ticket sales, player salaries and lucrative broadcasting contracts all offered an easy way for his criminal empire to launder some of its massive profits. As former team manager Francisco Maturana revealed in the 2010 documentary "The Two Escobars," this influx of money raised the team's profile considerably. According to Mr. Maturana, "the arrival of 'hot money' helped to pay good players here and bring in foreigners, and with that the soccer improved."

With the help of their stellar lineup at the time, in 1989 Atletico Nacional achieved what no other Colombian team had before: it won the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious soccer club competition in South America.

When he was gunned down on a Medellin rooftop in 1993, the kingpin was buried with the team's flag. With Mr. Escobar's death, however, Atletico Nacional lost one of its main financiers, and the lack of Medellin Cartel funding contributed to a wave of high-profile desertions from the team.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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