He then dedicated the goal to a more earthly pair: Miguel and Gilberto
Rodriguez Orejuela, the jailed founders of the Cali drug cartel.

``I want to dedicate this triumph to some people who don't have their
freedom,'' de Avila told local reporters after the 10 win. ``With much love
and humility, I dedicate it to ... Gilberto and Miguel.''

It was another sign of the ties between Colombian soccer and drug
traffickers, who for years bankrolled local teams as a way of laundering
their huge profits.

De Avila, a 34yearold forward for the New YorkNew Jersey MetroStars in the
U.S. professional soccer league, played for many seasons on the Cali club
called America.

The Rodriguez brothers, who built up one of the largest cocaine empires in
the world, were partowners of the team. Arrested in 1995, they have
reportedly sold their shares.

Earlier this month, a state investigator said people wanted on drugrelated
charges own between 70 and 80 percent of shares in five of Colombia's 16
firstdivision soccer clubs.

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