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Salvador Cabañas: Shooting Stars: Footballers paying a gruesome price in Latin America

Tim Sturtridge reports...

Previously I wrote about the added dangers of watching football in Latin America compared with attending a game in Europe. In the days that followed the contrast in the threat facing the footballers themselves became apparent.

In a trendy nightspot in Mexico City the Paraguayan international Salvador Cabañas was gunned down. Three months before the Club America striker was critically injured, Fernando Cáceres was shot in the head in Buenos Aires. As an astute defender Cáceres had represented Argentina in the 1994 World Cup. It was after USA 94 that the football world was rocked when Colombian defender Andrés Escobar was shot dead by a disgruntled fan.

It had been a decent couple of years for Salvador Cabañas prior to the recent awful events. After being an unused substitute at the 2006 World Cup in Germany the striker was set for a starting role in South Africa later this year.

Cabañas finished Paraguay's latest World Cup qualifying series as his country's leading goalscorer. The forward's goals and performances were an integral part of La Albirroja picking up a record 33 points and booking their place at the World Cup with two games to spare.

Now this year's World Cup is the last thing on Cabañas' mind as he fights for his life in hospital.

Cabañas was enjoying a night out with his wife in Bar Bar, a trendy hangout in Mexico City. It was during a trip to the toilets that the Paraguayan international was shot.

After showing up briefly in the world's press the attack has dominated news in the region since it occurred. The presidents of both Mexico and Paraguay were quick to comment on the brutal attack and lend whatever support they could.

Mexican Attorney General Miguel Angel Mancera visited the bar in the upscale neighbourhood of Mexico City just hours after the shooting took place. Mancera was quick to state that he did not believe the attack was part of a robbery as no possessions were taken. Initially two security guards, the bar manager and Cabañas' brother-in-law were questioned by police.

Attention quickly began to focus on two suspects who were filmed on the bar's security camera leaving the toilets where Cabañas was shot. The suspects departed the scene in a car without number plates.

After studying the tapes, Mancera has identified the two suspects as businessman José J Balderas Garza, nicknamed El Modelo, and his bodyguard. Balderas Garza is known to be a regular at Bar Bar along with many of Mexico's most famous footballers and celebrities. Balderas Garza and his bodyguard exited the bar after the shot was heard without paying their night's bill.

Balderas Garza is said to own 10 luxury cars and four homes, the businessman is from a region of northern Mexico well known for its drug lords. The shooting is believed to have followed a conversation between Balderas Garza and Cabañas where the footballer was criticised for not scoring enough goals for his club.

What followed the shooting for Cabañas was a six hour operation which was successful in stopping his internal bleeding. The bullet remains lodged in his brain however as doctors fear removing it could lead to a deterioration in Cabañas' condition.

"We would do more damage if we tried to extract it. We cannot be assured that he is out of danger. He is however young and healthy and that helps." Dr. Ernesto Martinez said.

Over the weekend Dr. Martinez and his team at Angeles del Pedregal Hospital brought Cabañas back to consciousness and were encouraged to see him speaking with his family.

"He is hanging on. There are still risks such as infection and bleeding but the situation is very favourable. We're all very happy. He speaks perfectly, even speaking in Guarani (a dialect particular to Paraguay) to the doctors and his family." Dr. Martinez added.

Despite communicating with his family and the specialists who are caring for him Cabañas has not recollection of the shooting. Of course thoughts of strapping his boots back on are a long way off and it is still not clear whether or not he will be able to continue his career as a footballer.

"We don't know yet, but there do not appear to be problems with his primary functions, though this is not the moment we can know that or evaluate it." Dr. Martinez explained.

Cabañas recovery has taken Dr. Martinez aback, the statistic for people dying from such injuries stands at about 80 per cent. Another of the lucky 20 per cent is former Argentine international Fernando Cáceres.

In November 2009 Cáceres was involved in a near fatal shooting at the hands of a youth in Buenos Aires.

In January this year Cáceres was released from hospital, he has lost the use of one eye and the bullet remains lodged in his head but it was the best result anyone could have wished for.

The ordeals of Cabañas and Cáceres are sure to stay with them for the rest of their lives. One footballer who did not escape a shooting with his life was Colombian defender Andrés Escobar.

10 days after Escobar's own goal against the USA contributed to his side being eliminated from the 1994 World Cup the footballer was shot 12 twelve times outside a bar in Medellín.

There have been other football related deaths and numerous kidnapping cases in Latin America. John Terry may currently be resenting the microscope which footballers come under in England. In this part of the world the problems can be a little more troublesome than a week of bad headlines.

Tim Sturtridge

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