In another harrowing incident related to Colombian soccer violence, Edgar Paez, the President of Colombian second-division club Tigres de Bogota FC, was fatally shot on September 24 after his team lost a game. Paez was traveling in a car with his daughter when two men came on a motorbike and fired shots at his car near the Metropolitano de Techo stadium in Bogota.

The club president was hit four times near the neck, skull, and thorax. Despite being quickly transported to the Mederi Clinic, Paez died at the hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

Tigres FC president’s death symbolic of soccer violence in Colombia

According to various reports, the two men on the motorbike stopped his car before opening fire. Luckily, the 63-year-old’s daughter remained unharmed, with a bullet slightly bruising her temple while she was in the car. Paez was returning from his home stadium after Tigres FC’s 3-2 loss against Atletico FC in the Categoria Primera B. The entire incident was caught by a number of security cameras on Avenida de las Americas, the location of the incident.

Due to the nature of the incident and the violence related to Colombian soccer, not many were comfortable sharing the exact details of the events that transpired. Journalist Oscar Ostos, director of ‘Gol Caracol,’ broke the news.

He said, “Two players of Tigres of the second division tell me that Edgar Paez, president and owner of the team from Bogota, died this Saturday. This happened after the match… Edgar was with one of his daughters at the time of the attack, they took him to the Mederi Clinic and there they could not do anything.” According to various reports, Edgar Paez was being trailed by the assailants after he left the stadium before eventually being intercepted at 6:15 p.m. 

As per El Tiempo, two presidents of Colombian soccer teams, who have chosen to remain anonymous, suggested that Paez’s death could be related to sports betting. This is yet another incident in the long line of soccer violence plaguing Colombia. 

Colombia is no stranger to soccer-related violence. According to reports, between 2008 and 2020, a total of 149 soccer fans were murdered in soccer-related violence. It is not as if things were better prior to that.

Earlier in 1994, Colombia lost a World Cup match to the United States in a penultimate contest. During that time, a player named Andrés Escobar scored an own goal that left the team losing. Ten days later, several men taunted Escobar for his own goal as Escobar is a surname associated with the namesake Pablo Escobar, the infamous Colombian drug lord. Later, a man took a pistol and shot him six times to his death. According to reports, the man shouted, “Goal,” every time he fired the bullet. Fights between fans of rival clubs are also not uncommon. Sometimes, fights between disgruntled fans and management of football clubs too break out. Earlier this year, violence broke out before a game between Atlético Nacional and América de Cali. 89 people were injured. Violence inside and outside stadiums remains a grim reality in Colombia.

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Meanwhile, many people have joined in to mourn the untimely passing of Paez, with many shaken by the tragic incident.

Soccer fans mourn the loss of their beloved President

The Colombian Football Federation expressed their grief for the incident and released a statement on X. They tweeted, “The Colombian Football Federation and its Executive Committee regret the death of Mr. Édgar Paez, president of the Tigres FC Club. From Colombian football, we express our condolences and accompany family, friends, and relatives in their pain. RIP.” 

Some fans were concerned about the president’s daughter, who traveled with him in the car. The fan voiced their concern, stating, “It’ll traumatize the daughter…” 

Another fan pointed out how they took the incident on unparalleled proportions following the violence. The fan tweeted, “Wow. They took it too far.”

Another fan questioned the murder and how Paez did not deserve it. The fan tweeted, “Heartbreaking and this is never a good way to deal with the loss of a football match.” 

With the sport of soccer celebrated around the world, one fan questioned how fans take it far too seriously. The fan mentioned, “Some people take this sport way too seriously! RIP.” 

The tragic incident of Edgar Paez’s passing has undoubtedly cast a somber cloud over Colombian soccer.

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