As slain soccer star Andres Escobar was buried Sunday, with more than 10,000 mourners paying tribute, Colombian police made two arrests in the shooting that has shaken the World Cup.
And the specter of gambling as a motive was presented by authorities in Medellin, where Escobar was killed Saturday.Even while Sweden and Romania were advancing to the World Cup quarterfinals, attention focused on Colombia. Police said Escobar was shot six times by the driver of a man who reportedly lost money betting on the Colombian team. Escobar, a defender, inadvertently kicked the ball into his own net in a 2-1 loss to the United States.
The driver, Humberto Munoz Castro, pulled a gun and shot Escobar after his boss, Santiago Gallon Henao, argued with the player about the own-goal. Police said a gun had been recovered and was being tested by ballistics experts.
Coaches and some players have said they won't be back with the national team. Coach Francisco Maturana resigned after the World Cup, although that had been planned.
"I don't want to return to the squad if it means an error on the field will cost me my life," forward Ivan Valenciano.
President Cesar Gaviria attended the funeral and pleaded for an end to the senselessness.
"Today, the violence appears even more irrational," Gaviria said.
Chants of "justice, justice" erupted from the crowd during eulogies for Escobar.
More than 100,000 mourners had flocked to the city's basketball stadium, where the body lay in a wooden casket with the green-and-white flag of Escobar's regular team, Atletico Nacional of Medellin, draped over it.
With Escobar's death so quickly following Diego Maradona's banishment for failing a drug test, the spotlight has strayed from the field. Part of it was on the press box at the Rose Bowl for the sensational Argentina-Romania game - and on Maradona.
Maradona was issued a press credential to do television commentary on Argentina's matches, which turned out to be for all of one game.
He was allowed to enter the broadcast booth in the stadium and broadcast offices, but had no access to the mixed zone, where journalists can interview players and coaches after a game.
Near the end of his nation's game, Maradona left the press box, accompanied by his wife. Moments later, the 1978 and '86 champions left the tournament.
"There's nothing that can justify this," the bitter superstar said. "This isn't the team I left ... the happy team, the knowing team. They sawed off our legs, not just mine, but of all Argentines."
Gheorghe Hagi emerged as one of the stars of the event, leading Romania's superb counterattacks in a wide-open game played at a break-neck pace. Hagi scored the winning goal and set up one of Ilie Dumitrescu's two scores as Romania made the quarterfinals for the first time.
At Dallas, Sweden got two goals and an assist from Kennet Andersson in ousting surprising Saudi Arabia, the first Persian Gulf team to get past the opening round.
Andersson set up Martin Dahlin's goal in the sixth minute, then got his two - the last one right after the Saudis crept within a goal in the final minutes.
"When you have two strikers like Martin and Kennet, all defenses must be careful," coach Tommy Svensson said.
Today, the United States plays its biggest game ever, against heavily favored Brazil at Stanford Stadium.
The other second-round games have Ireland vs. the Netherlands at Orlando, Fla., today; Italy against Nigeria at Foxboro, Mass., and Bulgaria vs. Mexico at East Rutherford, N.J., on Tuesday.