Narcoball by David Arrowsmith, Paperback, 9781788405249 | Buy online at The Nile
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Narcoball

Love, Death and Football in Escobar's Colombia

Author: David Arrowsmith  

Paperback

A gripping account of the chaotic period of Colombian football where cartels dictated results and players and referees died for drug lords' sporting obsessions.

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Summary

A gripping account of the chaotic period of Colombian football where cartels dictated results and players and referees died for drug lords' sporting obsessions.

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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 Medellin'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 Andres 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.

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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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Product Details

Publisher
Octopus Publishing Group | Cassell
Published
6th June 2024
Pages
304
ISBN
9781788405249

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CUSTOMER REVIEWS

06 Aug, 2024
A breathless masterpiece - a book I have wanted to read since becoming intrigued by grainy highlights of René Higuita’s Copa Libertadores exploits on Transworld Sport, then becoming fascinated by Pibe Valderrama, Rincón et al, and as I got older, with the sceptre of Pablo Escobar at front of mind. The book is full of detailed information about Pablo Escobar, possibly even more so than Mark Bowden’s “Killing Pablo” and gives another perspective from the more accessible Netflix show Narcos. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
By Will
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