The chief of citizen security for Colombia's national police, Gen. Jorge Nieto, told The Associated Press that thousands of extra officers would be on the streets of Bogota and other major cities when Colombia meets Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro for its first knockout round contest.
Instead of a matchup between two of the world's top strikers, the Round-of-16 game between Colombia and Uruguay at the World Cup will be a test of which team copes best without its talisman.
Colombia goalkeeper oldest World Cup player ever
He is just over 43 years old and was a member of Colombia's World Cup squads in 1994 and 1998.
Escobar is best known for having been murdered in the aftermath of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the common belief is that his death was due to his own goal that eventually led Colombia out of it, and which supposedly had caused gambling losses to several powerful drug lords of the time.
▶ Andrés Escobar own goal (World Cup 1994: USA - Colombia) - YouTube