Sports

Colombia honours slain football star Escobar

Staff Correspondent
Flowers on the monument to late Colombian footballer Andres Escobar during a ceremony in his honour in Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia on July 2, 2014. AFP
Flowers on the monument to late Colombian footballer Andres Escobar during a ceremony in his honour in Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia on July 2, 2014. AFP

Colombia paid tribute to Andres Escobar, who was gunned down 20 years ago just days after his own goal at the World Cup.

The killing, widely said to be revenge for the 27-year-old defender's own goal, set off international controversy and put a spotlight on Colombia's gun culture. The act resonates, particularly ahead of Colombia's quarter-final Friday against Brazil.

Medellin, where he was murdered, honoured Escobar with a football match, cultural events and flowers. "I still wonder why they killed him," his brother Santiago Escobar said.

"Andres Escobar -- always in our hearts. We will never forget your kindness, humility and your fight. I miss you my brother," 1994 team-mate Carlos Valderrama wrote on Twitter.

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