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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.

8. Players become targets: Salvador Cabañas

There are many examples of soccer players getting mixed up in the violent world of drugs. One of the most dramatic of them involved Paraguayan Salvador Cabañas, a former striker with Mexico's Club America, who was shot point blank in the head while in a Mexico City bar in 2010. Amazingly, he survived, though doctors were unable to remove the bullet from his brain. He has even recovered enough to sign a deal with second-division Brazilian club Tanabi Esporte Clube in March, though there are doubts about his playing ability.

Following the incident, police sources said they suspected the player may have been shot due to unresolved drug debts. His alleged shooter, later identified as Jose Jorge Balderas, alias "JJ," certainly had some impressive criminal connections. JJ, who was arrested in 2011, was an associate of Beltran Leyva Organization lieutenant Edgar Valdez Villarreal, alias "La Barbie." In his own testimony, La Barbie confirmed JJ's role in the shooting. He said that JJ and Mr. Cabañas used to be friends, but that on the day of the attack the player "was in a bad mood and they started to fight." Barbie further admitted to helping JJ evade authorities in the months following.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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