Flamengo's Libertadores rival was once in Pablo Escobar's hands | OneFootball

Flamengo and Independiente Medellín (COL) face off in the second round of the Libertadores

Flamengo and Independiente Medellín (COL) will meet for the first time in the Libertadores. Therefore, it is possible that some fans do not know much about the Colombian club. Fla’s opponent, for example, once had drug trafficker Pablo Escobar as its owner.

According to records from Colombia’s justice system, the criminal bought Independiente in the late 1980s to run the club from behind the scenes. Recently, in an interview, Escobar’s son confirmed his father’s fanaticism for the team.

But why did Escobar want to control a football team?

The idea of one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers was to launder money, which continued until the early 1990s. However, a rumor about a possible sale of Valderrama outraged fans, which led the trafficker to hand over control in June 1992.

Where to watch Flamengo vs Independiente Medellín?

So, Escobar’s former team faces Flamengo from 9:30 PM (Brasília time) this Thursday (16), in the second round of the Libertadores. Thus, the match will take place at the Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details of the match between Flamengo and Independiente Medellín through YouTube, the website, and social media. However, ESPN and Disney+ will broadcast the clash.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.