In the 1980's and 1990's, soccer in Colombia had never been better – thanks to cocaine. Drug cartels laundered their dirty money through soccer clubs. High salaries kept players in their home country, as did the improved facilities, and the money pouring into impoverished neighborhoods. However, Colombian soccer players were caught up in controversy when they attended parties thrown by notorious drug kingpins. One such player, Andrés Escobar, even participated in a wild soccer match held behind prison walls, featuring an audience of armed guards and the country’s most feared man. Soccer was serious business in Colombia – life or death business. Andrés Escobar would find out just how serious when he scored a dreaded own goal during the 1994 World Cup. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices