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Narcoball

Love, Death and Football in Escobar's Colombia
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( 266 ratings, 27 reviews)
Brief Description
Pablo Escobar had one obsession. Not drugs, not money, not power... football. Narcoball uncovers the incredible story of Colombian football during the early 1990s — shaped by drug lords, rivalries, and ambition. It uncovers a football empire backed by cartels — where victory was a currency... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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A gripping account of the chaotic period of Colombian football where cartels dictated results and players and referees died for drug lords' sporting obsessions.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
Pablo Escobar had one obsession. Not drugs, not money, not power... football.

Narcoball uncovers the incredible story of Colombian football during the early 1990s — shaped by drug lords, rivalries, and ambition. It uncovers a football empire backed by cartels — where victory was a currency of its own, and defeat, a matter of life and death.

This is a different story of Pablo Escobar and his rivals. A tale of clandestine deals that reshaped Medellín's football clubs, where fortunes were won and lost. It unveils the extraordinary bonds that Escobar forged with football's luminaries and why his influence reached unprecedented heights, leading to the astonishing 5-0 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires, the murder of referees, and the ruthless coercion of officials culminating in the killing of Andrés Escobar — the Colombian defender who paid the ultimate price for an own goal in the 1994 World Cup.

It is also an examination of a people's relationship with both the sport and the nefarious leaders that brought both pride and terror to their communities.

Set against the U.S. War on Drugs, international threats, and government clampdowns, this is a gripping exploration of Colombian club football under Escobar's rise and fall.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781788405249

Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 June 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Cassell

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 395g

Pages: 304

About the Author

David Arrowsmith was the Director of Development at leading UK factual TV producer Zig Zag Productions. He has worked in television for over 20 years - developing unscripted ideas and acting as Executive Producer on key projects for companies such as October Films, DSP, Channel 5, Granada Television, and the BBC. He is passionate about history, and just some of his key commissions include '1966: Who Stole the World Cup?', 'Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty', '8 Days That Made Rome', and 'Adolf & Eva: Love & War'. He was also involved in the development of the award-winning, Nobel Peace Prize-nominated documentary 'Sri Lanka's Killing Fields'.

David was born and raised in London but is proudly half-Colombian. In fact, he is the great-grandson of a former president and directly descended from four more. He has played football for over 35 years and has no plans to stop just yet.

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