The attack on Salvador Cabanas
Early this year, a vicious attack took place in Mexico involving Paraguayan footballer Salvador Cabanas. He was shot in the head by two unknown assailants in a bar but Cabanas survived the attack. Doctors were unable to remove the bullet from his brain but
he made an incredible recovery.
This particular case cannot be looked at in isolation. It seems that over the years, there have been numerous cases of violence against sports stars, especially footballers in Mexico. Some say that it was a drug scandal which resulted in the assault but
many differ with that opinion.
This attack on Salvador Cabanas highlights the problem of violence surrounding football in certain parts of the world. Passion in football often runs very high and over the years, numerous incidents of violence have, time and again, been associated to football.
The shooting of Cabanas may not have had anything to do with football violence but because of the fact that he was a very talented and sought after goal scorer, there are a number of questions that come to mind.
Salvador he has had a stellar club career and has been a potent force for Paraguay. He started playing football at a very young age and joined Club 12 de Octubre to kick start his club career in his native country. He was promoted to the first division of
the club where he scored 17 goals in his first season as a professional. He continued to impress and moved around to a number of clubs until Salvador ended at Audax Italiano in Chile.
During his time at Audex, he was the top scorer with 18 goals. His next stint came with Mexican club Jaguares in 2003. After impressing all and sundry, Cabanas was snapped up by Club América, the biggest club of the country. In 2009, Cabanas scored 29 goals
for his club. His international career was just as impressive. He scored 6 goals and helped Paraguay qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
On the 25th of January this year though, his football career was put in jeopardy with a life threatening attack. While at a bar with his wife, Cabanas was attacked in the bathroom and shot in the head. He was rushed to the hospital in critical
condition and attempts were made to remove the bullet and save the footballer’s life. Even though surgeons could not remove the bullet because it was lodged in such a way that an extraction would endanger his life, Cabanas made a speedy recovery. Doctors have
said that a full recovery for the player might take 2 to 3 years but because of the bullet stuck in his head, he may not be able to play football again.
Many theories and speculations have come to light about the possible reasons for the attack. Some are saying that Cabanas is a hero and he was trying to stop a robbery when he was shot, others say that an infamous Mexican drug lord named José Balderas Garza
may have been behind the shooting. Whatever the case may be footballers, or anyone for that matter should not be shot in clubs and bars and serious action needs to be taken to protect the lives of sports stars.
Over the last few years, many athletes have been shot at and killed in Mexico. In 1974, Jaime Lopez, centre back for Club Deportivo Guadalajara, was shot and killed in a street in Mexico. A year later, 24 year old defender Octavio “Centavo” Mucino was also
shot in a bar in Guadalajara. In 2009, a club employee was shot four times in a restaurant.
Hopefully with better policing and more protection for footballers, crimes of this nature can be reduced. The tragedy of the case of Cabanas is that even though he survived, he may not be able to play again and a great footballer’s career was cut short by
a senseless act of violence.
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