Flamengo face club once controlled by Pablo Escobar in Libertadores

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·17 de abril de 2026

Flamengo face club once controlled by Pablo Escobar in Libertadores

Flamengo and Independiente Medellín meet in the Libertadores for the first time, and the Colombian club has a past that includes control by Pablo Escobar.

The tie kicks off at 21:30 Brasília time on Thursday 16 at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, in the second round of the competition. According to Coluna Do Fla, some Flamengo supporters may know little about the Colombian club.

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Court records in Colombia state that Escobar bought Independiente in the late 1980s to run it from behind the scenes. In a recent interview, his son confirmed his fervent support for the team.

His objective was to launder money, an arrangement that continued into the early 1990s. A rumour over a possible sale of Valderrama angered fans, prompting him to relinquish control in June 1992.

ESPN and Disney+ will broadcast the match.

Source: Coluna Do Fla