For some illegal networks in the hemisphere, getting involved in the most popular sport in the region is less of a business opportunity and more about publicity. This is the case with Colombia's largest guerrilla army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which is currently negotiating a peace agreement with officials in Havana, Cuba.
In late November 2013, the rebel negotiating team made headlines by offering to arrange a series of "Games for Peace" in Cuba and Colombia, with the goal of gaining international exposure for the talks.
The initial proposal for the games came from Colombian soccer legend Carlos Valderrama, who suggested in an interview with newspaper El Tiempo that the game could help promote reconciliation in the country. The FARC seized on the idea, releasing a press statement in Havana in which top rebel negotiator Ivan Marquez said the guerrillas were "preparing physically, athletically," for the matches. "The members of our fronts and companies organize merry, informal games in which dribbles, overhead and scorpion kicks, and saves blend into the colors of the mountains," the rebel statement read.
The group also called on other soccer stars, like left-leaning Argentine player Diego Maradona, to participate. A spokesperson for President Juan Manuel Santos has said the government is willing to coordinate the games, but it has yet to announce a time or date for them.
