Colombian soccer legends from 50 years ago will unite with the current national team in an awareness scheme aimed at protecting elderly citizens who are living in desperate poverty in the country.
The project named “Greater Colombia” is led by Labor Minister Rafael Pardo and is designed to protect elderly Colombians who are without a pension or are homeless.
The event will take place in the northern city Barranquilla on Wednesday night and will act as a prelude to Los Cafetaros’ World Cup qualifying match with Paraguay on Friday.
Current players will be joined by some of the team from 1962 which famously drew 4-4 with Russia in the World Cup in Chile.
The game will be remembered not just because of a great comeback from Colombia, who were 4-1 down at one point, but because Marcos Coll scored the only “Olympic goal” ever scored at a World Cup, this being a goal straight from a corner kick.
According to Pardo, “Greater Colombia” currently hands out grants every two months to service the needs of 627,428 beneficiaries and the minister also revealed that there is a plan in place to expand the program over the next five years.
He said, “The goal is to link the entire 2.4 million adults over 65-years-old throughout the country today who are unprotected.”
