“Forever in our hearts”: Fajardo and Petro mourned the death of Freddy Rincón

On the night of April 13, the Imbanaco Clinic reported the death of Freddy Rincón, one of the most important athletes in the country. Despite medical efforts, the colossus of Buenaventura, as the footballer was also known, did not resist the consequences left on his body by the serious car accident in which he was involved last April 11. Colleagues and followers have expressed their sadness on social networks, and have explained the relevance of the player in this sport in the country. The candidates for the presidency of Colombia also dedicated heartfelt messages.

“The Imbanaco Grupo Quirónsalud Clinic, with prior authorization and in the company of his relatives, allows us to inform the public that despite all the efforts made by our medical and healthcare team, patient Freddy Eusebio Rincón Valencia, died today, April 13, 2022 (...) We deeply regret this sensitive event, while extending our deepest condolences to family, friends, relatives and followers. There will never be a way to express what this really means for us, we invite the whole country to remember it with joy for everything it gave us in life with its sporting achievements”, the statement with which the health center made the news public.

“How unfortunate the death of Freddy Rincón. So much joy left in the people of Colombia I hope I accompany you on your trip. May he rest in peace”, commented Gustavo Petro on the morning of this April 14, just hours after the confirmation of the athlete's death.

“Freddy Rincón, June 19, 1990: the most important, and beautiful, goal in the history of Colombia. Forever in our hearts. Thank you. Rest in peace”, added, in his wake, Sergio Fajardo.

In addition to these trills was that of the current president of the country, Iván Duque, who also regretted the player's death. “Freddy Rincón was and will always be an idol of Colombian football. Thank you Freddy for all that magic and strength on the court that inspired us and filled us with unforgettable moments. My condolences to his family and friends,” he said.

The athlete was 55 years old. On the day of the accident, the footballer was mobilizing in a truck truck with UGR 410 plates. According to the report by the Cali Mobility Secretariat, the car in which the athlete was driving would have run a red light, which caused him to crash into a public service bus from MIO. “I had the track through the traffic lights,” Jorge Eduardo Muñoz Beltrán, the bus driver who was involved in the crash, told the media. Muñoz resulted in the hospital with a fracture in his left leg and minor trauma to his head and right parietal.

In response to the news, the mayor of Cali, Jorge Iván Ospina, decreed a three-day duel in the city to pay tribute to the athlete. “I have decreed 3 days of mourning in our city in the face of the painful death of Freddy Rincón. I have guided the Secretaries of Government, Security and Justice and Communications to make themselves available to the family to organize their funeral,” said the local president. In turn, the administration informed that the Pascual Guerrero Stadium will be arranged for Rincón's body to rest in a burning chamber.

The newspaper El Tiempo, in one of its most recent investigations, referred to the people who came in the car with Freddy and who disappeared after the accident. According to the newspaper, a video recorded by security cameras in the sector shows how two men get out of place and take a taxi moments later. The media outlet highlights that, so far, the identity of one of the companions is known, a woman named María Manuela Patiño, who was unharmed. The woman left the scene after the accident.

Likewise, versions of events are investigated, such as the testimony of Lorena Cortés, who claims that Rincón was driving the car. It also investigates the conditions of the Ford, model 2015, in which they were mobilizing, since, according to information revealed, it had the SOAT expired and some fines for speeding. El Tiempo, in its note, posed transcendental questions that, for the moment, the authorities ask themselves: “Why did they leave and not help Freddy? Why haven't they appeared?”

KEEP READING: