Drug kingpins, including Pablo Escobar, have been known to bankroll local soccer teams in Latin America, writes Kevin Sieff in the Washington Post. It's a smart move in a few ways: Not only is soccer the "bedrock of power and politics," it's also an easy way to launder money. Sieff's remarkable two-part series, however, focuses on a drug kingpin who went one better: He not only bought or sponsored professional teams, he inserted himself into the lineup as a player. Meet Sebastian Marset, a 33-year-old Uruguayan who in recent years has become one of the top traffickers in South America and a key supplier of cocaine to the West, writes Sieff. But then comes the kicker: "Instead of hiding from authorities, he had used his fortune to purchase and sponsor soccer teams across Latin America and in Europe."
The story details how Marset would assume an alias and play for his various teams. He would pay $10,000 to wear the No. 10 of Pele, Maradona, and Messi, or hand out wads of cash to teammates as bonuses for victories. Maybe the best part is that Marset isn't a great player—he's "mediocre," writes Sieff, "with the skills of someone whose career peaked in high school." In fact, the story begins with Marset missing a crucial spot kick for Paraguay's Deportivo Capiata team in 2021. His playing days with that particular team ended in typical fashion: Marset, apparently tipped off that authorities were on to him, fled before they could make an arrest. If this hiding-in-plain-sight strategy seems far-fetched, know that Marset remains at large to this day. Read part one and part two of the series. (Or read other Longform recaps.)
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