WEBVTT - Andrés Escobar

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<v Speaker 1>In World Cup. The Colombian national team was staying in Fullerton, California,

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<v Speaker 1>just south of Los Angeles. Fans poured in and out

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<v Speaker 1>of the hotel lobby to take pictures with the players.

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<v Speaker 1>Have you ever been to Fullerton? It's part of the

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<v Speaker 1>vast expanse of concrete that makes up Orange County, California.

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<v Speaker 1>Disney is just across the way. This wasn't like this

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<v Speaker 1>secluded training grounds that the players were used to. They

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<v Speaker 1>felt exposed. As the World Cup got under way, the

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<v Speaker 1>Colombian team received death threats via facts. The welcome screens

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<v Speaker 1>in the hotel room TVs were hacked, replaced with ominous

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<v Speaker 1>messages from the fearsome cartel members back home. So when

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<v Speaker 1>Colombia took the field in Pasadena's Rose Bowl, they were

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<v Speaker 1>rightfully nervous and unsettled. They proceeded to lose to a

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<v Speaker 1>barely professional USA team. Out of Columbia's captain famously scored

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<v Speaker 1>an own goal. Collegery ay happy on the farce, I said,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the score. Escobar on the go, and the United

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<v Speaker 1>States reached Columbia. Ten days later, Acbad was shot to

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<v Speaker 1>death outside of night club in Minaing It was at

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<v Speaker 1>three thirty am in front of this restaurant, twenty seven

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<v Speaker 1>year old Andres Escobar got into his car. He was

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<v Speaker 1>surrounded and shot twelve times and killed. Allegedly, one of

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<v Speaker 1>the sailants yelled thanks for the auto goal, So what

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<v Speaker 1>the hell happened? This is the story of the gentleman

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<v Speaker 1>of soccer and and his tragic death at the age

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<v Speaker 1>of twenty seven. I'm Nando Vila and you're listening to

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<v Speaker 1>the best soccer podcast in the world. Goes with it,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's still like Christiano Ronaldo. Yes, yes, say in

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<v Speaker 1>the Countian teams wonderful. That is a never sink. September five,

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<v Speaker 1>Buenos Aitus, seventy five thousand Argentine fans were in El

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<v Speaker 1>Moundumental Leave It played stadium where Argentina had never lost

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<v Speaker 1>a World Cup qualifying match until nine. Columbia sealed World

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<v Speaker 1>Cup qualification with a spectacular five nil win. The Argentine

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<v Speaker 1>fans were so impressed they even gave Columbia a standing

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<v Speaker 1>ovation after the final whistle. Columbia qualified for the World Cup,

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<v Speaker 1>conceding a grand total of two goals zero losses. This

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<v Speaker 1>Columbia team was good, I mean really good. Bell picked

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<v Speaker 1>them as the favorites to win World Cup. Columb Obviously

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<v Speaker 1>Columba n with escob that was an outstanding team. That

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<v Speaker 1>was a team that could have won the World Cup

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<v Speaker 1>ninety four. That's Marti, a senior writer for ESPN and

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<v Speaker 1>was the captain. He was a tall, elegant central defender

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<v Speaker 1>with a fluffie mulley and he was good, I mean

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<v Speaker 1>really good. A C. Milan offered him a contract. Colombia

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<v Speaker 1>being good at soccer was a new thing historically, that

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't the case at all. Prior to they had only

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<v Speaker 1>qualified for one World Cup and hadn't won a game.

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<v Speaker 1>I had such an inferiority complex because especially Colombia, the

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<v Speaker 1>Colombia national team before about the ninety nineties, it was

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<v Speaker 1>really a poor relation to the kind of established teams

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<v Speaker 1>on the continental lights of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and even

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<v Speaker 1>I think at that point Peru and Chilea probably surpassed them.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Daniel Edwards, a soccer journalist based in Buenos Aires,

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<v Speaker 1>Colombia's a sent in the nineties. Coincided with Andres Cobad,

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<v Speaker 1>but he wasn't the main cause. It was another Escobard

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<v Speaker 1>really Pablo Escobar heard of him. It started with petty crime.

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<v Speaker 1>Aolo and his brother Roberto were trying to make some

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<v Speaker 1>money in the seventies. Of kidnapping earned them a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>thousand dollars, so crime paid. They moved into smuggling, particularly cocaine,

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<v Speaker 1>and by the eighties Pablo escobad supplied eight percent of

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<v Speaker 1>the world's cocaine. He made sixty million dollars a day.

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<v Speaker 1>He had mountains of cash buried in the countryside. How

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<v Speaker 1>do you launder that much illicit money, Well, if you're

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<v Speaker 1>Pablo Escobar, then you buy a soccer team. His name

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<v Speaker 1>could never officially be on it, of course, but he

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<v Speaker 1>ran NA It caught on. Rival drug lords did the

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<v Speaker 1>same with rival clubs. J. Mexicano ran Minos, the Kylie

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<v Speaker 1>Cartel ran a Medical Gali. Suddenly Colombian clubs had enough

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<v Speaker 1>money to keep hold of their best players, and they

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<v Speaker 1>could afford to hire talented foreign ones, and Colombian soccer

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<v Speaker 1>took off. They called it natico fud. Pablo started building

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<v Speaker 1>soccer fields with floodlights and slums. There's a bunch of

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<v Speaker 1>videos of Escobar at these unveilings, looking awkward at the mic,

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<v Speaker 1>the crowd cheers as he kicks an inaugural ball, and

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<v Speaker 1>stiffly walks off the field. His methods were not always

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<v Speaker 1>so altruistic. His strategy was plata oplomo silver or lead,

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<v Speaker 1>accept the bribe, or be dead. It said that Pablo

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<v Speaker 1>Scobad once ordered the assassination of a referee, plus a

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<v Speaker 1>sort of judges, politicians, over five hundred policemen, and thousands

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<v Speaker 1>of rival cartel members. As Pablo was taking over the

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<v Speaker 1>global drug trade, Nasonal was emerging on the international stage

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<v Speaker 1>and joined the Nacional team at age twenty. Within a

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<v Speaker 1>year he was playing for the national team. His club

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<v Speaker 1>coach also managed the Colombian team, and this scored his

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<v Speaker 1>only goal for Colombia against England at Wembley Stadium. But

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<v Speaker 1>in the meantime, Nasonald was plowing forward in the COEs,

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<v Speaker 1>the competition of all the best club teams in South America.

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<v Speaker 1>No Colombian team had ever won it, and in the

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<v Speaker 1>cartel quarterfinal, Nacional scraped past Me and Narios. The final

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<v Speaker 1>was Nacional versus Paraguayan club Olympia. Before the match, rumor

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<v Speaker 1>has it that the Olympia president got a message from

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<v Speaker 1>the Cartel Nacional champions or no one leaves the stadium alive.

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<v Speaker 1>In the penalty shootout and scored first. The honey goalkeeper

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<v Speaker 1>scored one and saved four in Naional one. But that team,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, that I Lit Nacional team has just gone

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<v Speaker 1>into history as one of the greatest South American club

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<v Speaker 1>teams that ever was. They had Andres go in in

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<v Speaker 1>the middle of the defense as well, this tower and

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<v Speaker 1>figure who as we all know, mate a very tragic end.

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<v Speaker 1>Five years later, after the United States woke up, the

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<v Speaker 1>players went to Pablos Cobards Range to celebrate and pick

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<v Speaker 1>up their bonuses. Using the core of his nationality, team

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<v Speaker 1>coach led Colombia into a new era. They made it

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<v Speaker 1>to the round of sixteen at the World Cup. And

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<v Speaker 1>so this guy, Francisco Maturano, the culture of that age,

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<v Speaker 1>he comes in and he says, look, we're not going

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<v Speaker 1>to beat Argentina Brazil by fouling them, by spoiling You know,

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<v Speaker 1>we're Colombians. We love, we love to have fun, we

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<v Speaker 1>love to just show you artery cell So we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to do that on the pitch. And it might not

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<v Speaker 1>have ended in Troy phase but it was probably the

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<v Speaker 1>closest that Columbias felt to their national team because it

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<v Speaker 1>was just reflecting what this country was about. Meanwhile, Bablos

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<v Speaker 1>Cobard pumped out enough silver and lead to get a

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<v Speaker 1>law changed so that Columbia would no longer extradite people

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<v Speaker 1>to the United States, and then came the infamous surrender.

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<v Speaker 1>Babulos Cobard turned himself into Columbian authorities on the condition

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<v Speaker 1>that he could build his own prison in managing that

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<v Speaker 1>became known as more a mansion in a prison, which

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<v Speaker 1>came equipped with its own soccer field. Babulos cobad would

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<v Speaker 1>fly in elite players for luxurious friendlies. Then he would

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<v Speaker 1>bet on the outcome with other drug kingpins. They'd all

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<v Speaker 1>go and you don't say no to Pablos Cobard. Reneita

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<v Speaker 1>talked openly to journalists he never hit his relationship with

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<v Speaker 1>Bablos Cobada, but on this was much more uncomfortable with

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<v Speaker 1>the situation. Dio Banadona went once he got a huge

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<v Speaker 1>fee to play in the friendly and he had no

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<v Speaker 1>idea who Barlos Cobada was at the time. They played

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<v Speaker 1>the match and then partied through the night. Madethona wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>playing on the day Columbia beat Argentina five nil. He

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<v Speaker 1>had failed a drug test and couldn't play, but he

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<v Speaker 1>was in the stands applauding. In the fallout of the match,

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<v Speaker 1>Mathona rejoined Argentina from his drug band to revive its

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<v Speaker 1>chances in the World Cup. Back in Colombia, dozens were

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<v Speaker 1>killed in the joyous celebrations. Columbia at the time had

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<v Speaker 1>the highest rate of violence anywhere in the world. Cartel's

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<v Speaker 1>assassinated politicians and the military hunted down drug traffickers. I

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<v Speaker 1>have to mention members of the farc and paramilitaries. There

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<v Speaker 1>was a tug of war happening between the government and

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<v Speaker 1>the cartels over the future of Columbia itself, and frequently

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<v Speaker 1>they were using soccer as the rope. It was the

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<v Speaker 1>one thing that everyone agreed on. Then President showed up

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<v Speaker 1>to every match. Barbaros Goat tuned in religiously via radio,

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<v Speaker 1>even while on the run after he fled his luxurious

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<v Speaker 1>prison that he built for himself. Stuck in the middle

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<v Speaker 1>of this bloody contest over a nation was a sweet

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<v Speaker 1>kid with a flu fee Mullet, nicknamed the Gentleman of Football.

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<v Speaker 1>More about what happened next after the break? How did

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<v Speaker 1>become the gentleman of football? But like all great stories,

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<v Speaker 1>let's go back to his childhood and the nest was

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<v Speaker 1>a well off kid, the son of a banker. He

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<v Speaker 1>attended private Catholic schools. Even as an adult. It said

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<v Speaker 1>that he read the Bible every day. He kept two

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<v Speaker 1>bookmarks in it, one a picture of his mom and

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<v Speaker 1>a picture of his fiance. He and his fiance had

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<v Speaker 1>plans to get married a few after the World Cup.

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<v Speaker 1>Former teammates described on Today says beloved by everyone, the

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<v Speaker 1>kind of guy you want around on those long, dreary

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<v Speaker 1>nights on international travel. And the This was publicly shy,

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<v Speaker 1>but hugely popular. He was in a bunch of ads

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<v Speaker 1>ahead of the World Cup. It's kind of jarring knowing

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<v Speaker 1>what's going to happen next. The world was full of

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<v Speaker 1>buoyant commercial cheer for the ninety four World Cup in

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<v Speaker 1>the good Old US of a three hundred thousand fans

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<v Speaker 1>visited from abroad. About three point five million people packed

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<v Speaker 1>stadiums to ent capacity and booked half a million hotel rooms.

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<v Speaker 1>Snickers got their logo in front of two billion viewers

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<v Speaker 1>on TV imported beer cells jumped by over three. ABC

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<v Speaker 1>helpfully explained what exactly this whole soccer thing was. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I think a lot of people are still

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<v Speaker 1>confused about how this tournament works. Temporary Ted Who's a Striker?

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<v Speaker 1>The cartoon dog mascot for the tournament became a surprise

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<v Speaker 1>hit from a novelty shop in Texas. At the opening ceremonies,

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<v Speaker 1>trapes around with Whitney Houston and Bill Clinton gave a

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<v Speaker 1>speech Let it do, Donaldan United excited, honored to quite

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<v Speaker 1>hug So that's magnificent, Donald Brighton, Diana Ross missed the

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<v Speaker 1>penalty and the whole goal split in half. Back in Colombia,

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<v Speaker 1>things were considerably less cheery. Bablos Cobad had fled the

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<v Speaker 1>prison he built for himself. The Colombian government wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>move him to a real prison, and instead he ducked

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<v Speaker 1>out in the middle of the night and was living

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<v Speaker 1>on the lamb for two years, and he had a

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<v Speaker 1>target on his back. The military and a bunch of

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<v Speaker 1>vigilantes financed by the Cali cartel hunted down Pablo Scbad.

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<v Speaker 1>These vigilantes came to be known as los pepes as

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<v Speaker 1>in they were mostly cartel members bribed to turn on

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<v Speaker 1>Bablo months before the World Cup. Bablos Coat was gunned

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<v Speaker 1>down on a medicine rooftop a day after his forty

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<v Speaker 1>four birthday. Rival factions fought to fill the power vacuum.

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<v Speaker 1>There were no rules. The country descended into chaos. Reneita

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<v Speaker 1>got involved in the ransom, paid for a cartel kidnapping,

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<v Speaker 1>and spent seven months in jail. He was excluded from

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<v Speaker 1>the World Cup squad. Motorcyclists kidnapped the four year old

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<v Speaker 1>son of Columbia defender Luis ra from outside his home

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<v Speaker 1>in medhin They returned the kid to a church the

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<v Speaker 1>next day. All of this was taking a toll on

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<v Speaker 1>Columbia's national team as they prepared for their opening match

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<v Speaker 1>in the World Cup against Romani June eighth, Group A.

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<v Speaker 1>They met at the Rose Bowl and things didn't go well.

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<v Speaker 1>For a vast sea of nine spectators. What does a

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<v Speaker 1>vintage Romania side overcame Columbia and the group staying. Columbia's

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<v Speaker 1>backup goalkeeper Oscar Cordova didn't even see the ball coming.

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<v Speaker 1>He didn't look great on any of the three goals

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<v Speaker 1>scored during that match, but he looked especially bad on

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<v Speaker 1>this one. After a brilliant qualifying campaign and expectations were

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<v Speaker 1>sky high, they crashed and burned in their opening match.

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<v Speaker 1>The first half carried Romania to a three wong win

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<v Speaker 1>over Columbia, and that's when the death threats came rolling.

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<v Speaker 1>In some context, the players weren't the only ones that

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<v Speaker 1>had their asses on the line during the World Cup.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't your run of the mill World Cup steaks.

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<v Speaker 1>Drug syndicates had bet millions on Columbia. Columbia's assistant coach

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<v Speaker 1>was a guy named Ernan Dario Gomes. His brother was

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<v Speaker 1>Garril Barba Comes, a starting midfielder on the team. The

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<v Speaker 1>facts was sent to the Fullerton hotel that's said that

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<v Speaker 1>if Barabas started, they would murder Barabas, Barabas's family, coach,

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<v Speaker 1>Matana's family, and the rest of the squad. The TVs

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<v Speaker 1>in their hotel rooms showed a similar message. Marta showed

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<v Speaker 1>up to a team meeting crying, what could he do

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<v Speaker 1>forward if Austino Asprilla called his family and told them

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<v Speaker 1>to hide. Chantra, the defender, whose four year old son

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<v Speaker 1>was kidnapped, got the news that his brother had died

0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:53.480
<v Speaker 1>in a car crash. He was despondent. He wanted to

0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:56.760
<v Speaker 1>give up and go home, Andres go out of stayed

0:16:56.800 --> 0:17:00.800
<v Speaker 1>up with Aria all night, comforting him the country needs you,

0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:04.840
<v Speaker 1>and that I told his friend problems off the field,

0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:08.280
<v Speaker 1>and you know, that whole Columbia team, especially in NTO,

0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:10.440
<v Speaker 1>and we didn't necessarily know it at the time, and

0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:13.280
<v Speaker 1>it all came out after with you know, death threats

0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:15.440
<v Speaker 1>and the cartel, I mean, and all of this stuff,

0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:18.639
<v Speaker 1>and obviously with Andres Escobar and all that kind of

0:17:18.640 --> 0:17:21.399
<v Speaker 1>stuff that happened, that team was knee deep in it.

0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:24.920
<v Speaker 1>This is Alexei Lawless. He played for the United States

0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:27.800
<v Speaker 1>in the next game against Columbia with his scraggly goatee

0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:32.080
<v Speaker 1>and uncombed ginger main and iconic Denham jersey. Now Alexei

0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:35.520
<v Speaker 1>works for Fox Sports. Barabbas was dropped in the middle

0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:38.600
<v Speaker 1>of the tournament. He left the team and never played

0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:42.560
<v Speaker 1>for Columbia again. Shaking teammates made the trek up to

0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:57.040
<v Speaker 1>Pasadena to play the hosting United States June twenty world

0:17:57.560 --> 0:18:08.080
<v Speaker 1>the world than six nine fans showed up to the

0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:12.120
<v Speaker 1>Columbia USA game. To the outside world, Columbia was still

0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:15.040
<v Speaker 1>a favorite to win the World Cup, the United States

0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:18.119
<v Speaker 1>had just a few pros playing in far flung leagues.

0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:28.120
<v Speaker 1>Columbia's star striker was Faustino Esparriga wonder to mark him,

0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:31.760
<v Speaker 1>the Americans surprisingly turned to Fernando cRIO, a thirty seven

0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:35.399
<v Speaker 1>year old who hadn't played a match in months. Columbia

0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:39.120
<v Speaker 1>dominated the opening spell, just pepper to the American goal

0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:42.359
<v Speaker 1>with shots. This one looked like it could get ugly,

0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:47.399
<v Speaker 1>until it got ugly in a very different way. Cops

0:18:47.600 --> 0:18:53.600
<v Speaker 1>look at this duties the clingly with a goal from

0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:58.399
<v Speaker 1>Columbia's goalkeeper, Cordova's already moving to where the cross will go.

0:18:58.960 --> 0:19:02.080
<v Speaker 1>When it's redirected path him. He arcs backward and falls

0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:05.199
<v Speaker 1>over like he's been shot. In the feed, you can

0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:08.120
<v Speaker 1>see Andresco out of stand up. He's got his hands

0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:11.400
<v Speaker 1>on his hips, head hung low. He doesn't look defeated,

0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:14.720
<v Speaker 1>just sort of a grim acceptance, ready to get on

0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:25.560
<v Speaker 1>with the game with life on the go on. The

0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:32.160
<v Speaker 1>United States reached Colombia at halftime, subbed off as pretty yet,

0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:36.159
<v Speaker 1>Lavico said quote, he should be ashamed of himself. Not

0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:38.639
<v Speaker 1>only did he not play well, he didn't even try.

0:19:39.480 --> 0:19:42.160
<v Speaker 1>Maturana said later he would have subbed out all eleven

0:19:42.200 --> 0:19:45.240
<v Speaker 1>players if he could have more about what happened next

0:19:45.560 --> 0:20:09.840
<v Speaker 1>after the break second half, send it on the school. Yeah,

0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:14.440
<v Speaker 1>the American dream is alive and well any steward makes

0:20:14.480 --> 0:20:17.399
<v Speaker 1>it true now on there on the way to the

0:20:17.520 --> 0:20:21.159
<v Speaker 1>second round, a little Laalencia scored Columbia's only goal in

0:20:21.160 --> 0:20:28.360
<v Speaker 1>the ninety minute, but it wasn't enough. In hindsight, it's

0:20:28.400 --> 0:20:32.879
<v Speaker 1>eerie watching the American people celebrating on the streets. Columbia

0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:35.879
<v Speaker 1>losing to the US and ninety four was perhaps the

0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:40.080
<v Speaker 1>biggest upset in World Cup history. The American headlines read

0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:43.960
<v Speaker 1>the Miracle on Grass. The US was through to the

0:20:44.040 --> 0:20:48.960
<v Speaker 1>knockout rounds. Columbia, on the other hand, was out. The

0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:52.359
<v Speaker 1>newspaper La Prinza went with the headline humiliated by the

0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:56.320
<v Speaker 1>United States, said his team couldn't have played so poorly,

0:20:56.480 --> 0:21:01.080
<v Speaker 1>even on purpose. Apa got defensive into old reporters. It's

0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:04.040
<v Speaker 1>not the end of the world, maybe, but it was

0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:10.280
<v Speaker 1>the end of a lot of things. Drug traffickers lost

0:21:10.440 --> 0:21:15.040
<v Speaker 1>millions in bets on Columbia. Martano resigned after receiving bomb

0:21:15.119 --> 0:21:19.400
<v Speaker 1>threats at his house and fled Columbia and none Dais

0:21:19.560 --> 0:21:22.679
<v Speaker 1>the assistant coach turned down the head coaching job. He

0:21:22.760 --> 0:21:26.440
<v Speaker 1>said he simply didn't want it anymore. One could understand why.

0:21:27.040 --> 0:21:30.480
<v Speaker 1>And his family had vacation plans. They were headed to

0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:34.480
<v Speaker 1>America and asked Andres to join A Columbia radio station

0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:36.520
<v Speaker 1>asked Andres to do the commentary for the rest of

0:21:36.560 --> 0:21:40.920
<v Speaker 1>the World Cup. He declined both invitations. He went back home.

0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:45.400
<v Speaker 1>He thought it was important to show his face in Colombia.

0:21:46.320 --> 0:21:49.120
<v Speaker 1>This is audio from the last interview he gave when

0:21:52.000 --> 0:22:00.880
<v Speaker 1>the cancer. In the footage, he looked down and then

0:22:00.880 --> 0:22:04.960
<v Speaker 1>into the middle distance. He blinks, there's nothing much more

0:22:05.000 --> 0:22:08.680
<v Speaker 1>to say. He's defeated, but we'll get on with his life.

0:22:09.520 --> 0:22:24.359
<v Speaker 1>Two days later, Andreescobad was murdered. On the night of

0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:26.679
<v Speaker 1>his death, and this left his fiance at home to

0:22:26.720 --> 0:22:29.000
<v Speaker 1>go out with some friends and ended up at a

0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:32.880
<v Speaker 1>club called and This was drinking and he gets into

0:22:32.880 --> 0:22:36.080
<v Speaker 1>a verbal scuffle with some people. At three am, he

0:22:36.160 --> 0:22:38.680
<v Speaker 1>leaves with his friends to go get some food. And

0:22:38.880 --> 0:22:40.600
<v Speaker 1>this was in the car in the parking lot. When

0:22:40.680 --> 0:22:44.280
<v Speaker 1>three people approached, they shot him six or twelve times,

0:22:44.560 --> 0:22:48.359
<v Speaker 1>depending on the report. Someone told the local radio station

0:22:48.400 --> 0:22:50.639
<v Speaker 1>that they heard one of the shooters say thanks for

0:22:50.680 --> 0:22:55.600
<v Speaker 1>the alto. The group yelled goal after each shot. It's

0:22:55.680 --> 0:22:58.520
<v Speaker 1>unlikely they killed him this explicitly for the own goal.

0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:01.359
<v Speaker 1>We don't know for or what they were arguing about,

0:23:02.040 --> 0:23:04.560
<v Speaker 1>and Rancisco Bad died from his wounds on the way

0:23:04.560 --> 0:23:13.200
<v Speaker 1>to the hospital trying to squeeze his friend's hand. Two

0:23:13.200 --> 0:23:16.800
<v Speaker 1>of the gunmen were identified as the Rayon brothers, Juan

0:23:17.400 --> 0:23:21.000
<v Speaker 1>drug traffickers slash car dealers. They've been members of Los

0:23:21.000 --> 0:23:24.760
<v Speaker 1>Pepies and had helped hunt down Baos Colada when authorities

0:23:24.880 --> 0:23:29.040
<v Speaker 1>arrested the Vallons, they also confiscated fifty pounds of cocaine,

0:23:29.440 --> 0:23:33.320
<v Speaker 1>two revolvers, and a submachine gun. The Rayons then paid

0:23:33.320 --> 0:23:38.440
<v Speaker 1>off the prosecutors. Their drivers slash bodyguard took the fall

0:23:38.680 --> 0:23:42.160
<v Speaker 1>and confessed. He was sentenced to forty three years in prison,

0:23:42.440 --> 0:23:45.920
<v Speaker 1>but got out after eleven for good behavior. The Yon

0:23:46.000 --> 0:23:54.840
<v Speaker 1>brothers went free. On July. Colombian players started getting calls

0:23:54.880 --> 0:23:59.399
<v Speaker 1>early in the morning saying and was dead. Asprilla didn't

0:23:59.440 --> 0:24:02.159
<v Speaker 1>really believe it until he saw the midday news. On

0:24:02.280 --> 0:24:05.040
<v Speaker 1>June twenty second, in Pasadena's Rose Bowl, the US wanted

0:24:05.119 --> 0:24:08.720
<v Speaker 1>to one game, at which Columbia defender Andres Escobar accidentally

0:24:08.800 --> 0:24:10.920
<v Speaker 1>kicked the ball into his own net. Columbia, one of

0:24:10.960 --> 0:24:13.360
<v Speaker 1>the favorites going in, was eliminated in the first round.

0:24:13.600 --> 0:24:16.679
<v Speaker 1>The team returned home on Wednesday to anonymous threats, threats

0:24:16.760 --> 0:24:19.800
<v Speaker 1>that were carried out may the Ian city officials instituted

0:24:19.840 --> 0:24:22.960
<v Speaker 1>a twenty four hour alcohol band. The members of the

0:24:23.040 --> 0:24:27.480
<v Speaker 1>Columbia team were signed additional bodyguards, and then Cisco about

0:24:27.560 --> 0:24:30.720
<v Speaker 1>his body lay in state at an open colosseum. The

0:24:30.800 --> 0:24:34.240
<v Speaker 1>next day. Ten thousand people attended the funeral, including the

0:24:34.280 --> 0:24:37.920
<v Speaker 1>President of Colombia and the mayor of Medain. Thousands walked

0:24:37.960 --> 0:24:41.320
<v Speaker 1>with the casket ten miles to the cemetery. Back in

0:24:41.359 --> 0:24:43.560
<v Speaker 1>the United States, the knockout rounds of the World Cup

0:24:43.640 --> 0:24:46.080
<v Speaker 1>we're starting. They held a moment of silence before the

0:24:46.160 --> 0:24:52.280
<v Speaker 1>next two matches to complete. You're not respect for life,

0:24:52.359 --> 0:24:57.920
<v Speaker 1>you know whatever. It's just a game, you know, and

0:24:58.119 --> 0:25:00.760
<v Speaker 1>of course, you know at this level that gets kind

0:25:00.800 --> 0:25:04.400
<v Speaker 1>of blurred. That's a very young Alexei Lawalas on Sports Center.

0:25:05.280 --> 0:25:08.760
<v Speaker 1>It was ten days between the own goal and Andranciscobata's murder.

0:25:20.880 --> 0:25:23.440
<v Speaker 1>The Best Soccer Podcast in the World is a production

0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:26.600
<v Speaker 1>of exile content Studios in partnership with I Hearts Michael

0:25:26.680 --> 0:25:30.000
<v Speaker 1>Duda podcast Network and is hosted by me Nando Vila.

0:25:30.840 --> 0:25:33.560
<v Speaker 1>The show is produced by Anna save Octavio and Zach

0:25:33.680 --> 0:25:38.000
<v Speaker 1>Lee Rigg, written by Zach Lee Rigg. Production assistants by

0:25:38.040 --> 0:25:41.760
<v Speaker 1>Stella and Our executive producers are Isaac Lee Rose Reed

0:25:41.880 --> 0:25:45.040
<v Speaker 1>and myself Nando Vila. Our executive producers at I Heart

0:25:45.080 --> 0:25:49.400
<v Speaker 1>are Giselle Vances and Arlene Santana. Sound designed by Ula Mendoza.

0:25:50.400 --> 0:25:53.920
<v Speaker 1>Our theme song is by lu j Special thanks to

0:25:54.000 --> 0:25:57.120
<v Speaker 1>all the voices who participated in this episode Alexei Laalas,

0:25:57.280 --> 0:26:01.560
<v Speaker 1>Garl Marcotti and Daniel Edwards. For more podcasts, listen to

0:26:01.640 --> 0:26:04.760
<v Speaker 1>the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

0:26:04.800 --> 0:26:05.639
<v Speaker 1>to your favorite shows,