Andres Escobar

Andrés Escobar (1967–1994) was a Colombian football player, who was shot dead for an own goal, which he scored in the 1994 Football World Cup.

Escobar was born on 13 March 1967. He was a defender for Colombia in the Football World Cup in 1990 and 1994. His shirt number was 2.

On 2 July 1994, Escobar was gunned down outside a bar in a Medellín suburb. According to Escobar's girlfriend the killer shouted "goal" for each of the 12 bullets fired. Escobar had scored an own goal in a match against the United States on 22 June. The USA won the game 2-1, and as a result, Colombia were dismissed from the tournament in the first round.

The murder was clearly a punishment for the own goal. It is not clear whether the murderer acted on his own initiative, or whether he was sent out by one of the gambling syndicates who had bet large amounts of money on Colombia to win the Cup, or at least qualify for the second round.

The Scottish football pundit Alan Hansen was forced to apologise after stating in his post-match analysis that "the player ought to be shot for making a mistake like that", a (perhaps worryingly) common expression in Britain.