BOGOTA: Former footballer Diego Leon Osorio, who played for Colombia’s national team in the 1990s, has been arrested for drug trafficking for the third time, police said on Friday.
The former left-back was attempting to board a flight to Madrid, Spain, on April 8, from an airport near Medellin “with 1,849 grams of cocaine hydrochloride,” police said in a message sent to the media.
Airport authorities discovered the drugs in four pairs of sneakers before making the arrest.
But police did not announce the arrest until Friday, when a video was leaked to the press showing Osorio, who won league titles with Colombian side Atletico Nacional, in handcuffs next to a uniformed officer.
The 52-year-old was previously arrested in 2002 while transporting cocaine in Miami but was released on bail.
In 2016, he was arrested again in Medellin and later sentenced to house arrest.
Osorio played for Colombia’s national team in the 1990s alongside the legendary Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama and goalkeeper Rene Higuita.
At club level, he excelled at Atletico Nacional, winning two Colombian leagues and the Merconorte Cup in 1998.
Soccer and drugs have been intertwined for the past four decades in Colombia, the world’s leading producer of the white powder, with several players arrested for links to trafficking.
Anthony de Avila, Colombian club America de Cali’s all-time leading scorer, was detained in September 2021 for links to the mafia in Naples, Italy.
Another Colombian international Jhon Viafara, a midfielder in the Once Caldas team that won the Copa Libertadores in 2004, was extradited to the United States for collaborating in a drug shipment to that country.
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Colombian ex-footballer Osoria arrested for drug trafficking
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Colombian ex-footballer Osoria arrested for drug trafficking
- The former left-back was attempting to board a flight to Madrid, Spain, on April 8, from an airport near Medellin “with 1,849 grams of cocaine hydrochloride”
- Osorio played for Colombia's national team in the 1990s alongside the legendary Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama and goalkeeper Rene Higuita
Relief for hosts Morocco as they start Cup of Nations with win
- “An opening match is always difficult, but we did the job. It was important to win our first match, in front of our fans, to get off to a good start in the competition
RABAT: Morocco eventually got the party underway but relief was the overriding emotion on Sunday as they overcame tiny Comoros 2-0 in the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Rain dampened the atmosphere and a nervy start, including a wasted penalty opportunity, reflected the intense pressure on the home team, who are the runaway favorites but looking for their first Cup of Nations success in 50 years.
It was only in the second half of the Group A game that they were able to break through with goals from Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi, though the scoreline might have been more flattering as the minnows tired in the closing stages.
“It’s never easy to get into the competition,” said Morocco coach Walid Regruagui, who guided the side to the semifinals of the last World Cup in Qatar.
“An opening match is always difficult, but we did the job. It was important to win our first match, in front of our fans, to get off to a good start in the competition.
“We’d been preparing for this match for a year and a half and put a lot of pressure on ourselves.
“The game got off to a bad start, with that missed penalty and Romain Saiss being substituted.”
The Morocco captain, who had spent the first half of the year sidelined by ankle surgery, went off injured after 18 minutes in a flood of tears after an innocuous push.
There was no immediate news on the extent of the injury.
“At halftime, I wasn’t very happy with the team, and made some adjustments, which the boys implemented very quickly,” added Regragui.
The first goal came 10 minutes after the break from Real Madrid’s Diaz, who was named man of the match.
“We needed to create a lot of chances because, of course, they played with 11 players behind the ball, so it was a difficult game,” said Diaz.
“We need to keep improving and we need to create chances to score the goals.”
Morocco can expect a tougher task against Mali in their next game on Friday.
Rain dampened the atmosphere and a nervy start, including a wasted penalty opportunity, reflected the intense pressure on the home team, who are the runaway favorites but looking for their first Cup of Nations success in 50 years.
It was only in the second half of the Group A game that they were able to break through with goals from Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi, though the scoreline might have been more flattering as the minnows tired in the closing stages.
“It’s never easy to get into the competition,” said Morocco coach Walid Regruagui, who guided the side to the semifinals of the last World Cup in Qatar.
“An opening match is always difficult, but we did the job. It was important to win our first match, in front of our fans, to get off to a good start in the competition.
“We’d been preparing for this match for a year and a half and put a lot of pressure on ourselves.
“The game got off to a bad start, with that missed penalty and Romain Saiss being substituted.”
The Morocco captain, who had spent the first half of the year sidelined by ankle surgery, went off injured after 18 minutes in a flood of tears after an innocuous push.
There was no immediate news on the extent of the injury.
“At halftime, I wasn’t very happy with the team, and made some adjustments, which the boys implemented very quickly,” added Regragui.
The first goal came 10 minutes after the break from Real Madrid’s Diaz, who was named man of the match.
“We needed to create a lot of chances because, of course, they played with 11 players behind the ball, so it was a difficult game,” said Diaz.
“We need to keep improving and we need to create chances to score the goals.”
Morocco can expect a tougher task against Mali in their next game on Friday.
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