Football horror stories: from the shooting of Cabañas to the Libertadores “ghost”

Injuries that ended careers, a crash that marked a club and scenes that seemed impossible: seven episodes for this Halloween.

Football also has scenes that are hard to watch again. For this Halloween, seven stories bring together serious injuries, attacks, accidents and a so-called ghost that slipped into a Libertadores broadcast.

1. The night that changed Salvador Cabañas' life

On January 25, 2010, while he was América's star, Cabañas was shot in the head at a bar in Mexico City. He survived, but began a long rehabilitation that changed the course of his career. In April 2012 he played an official match again, for Paraguay's 12 de Octubre. His return to the pitch came more than two years after the attack.

Salvador Cabañas celebrates in an América shirt — Cabañas was América's star when he was attacked.

2. Battiston and the hit that went unpunished

In the 1982 World Cup semifinal, goalkeeper Harald Schumacher crashed into Patrick Battiston as the Frenchman reached the box. The collision left him with injuries to his teeth, ribs and a vertebra. Schumacher played on without being punished. He then saved two penalties and helped West Germany knock out France. The game went on; the image remained one of the harshest of that World Cup.

3. The injury that silenced Old Trafford

On April 8, 1996, David Busst suffered a horrific fracture to his right leg during Manchester United vs. Coventry. The game was halted while he received treatment. He went through multiple operations, but the aftermath ended his professional career. Busst managed to stay connected to football through community work, after one play changed his life on the pitch forever.

4. Eriksen: the Euros took a back seat

On June 12, 2021, Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark vs. Finland. He had suffered a cardiac arrest. His teammates formed a barrier around him while he received medical care and was resuscitated on the grass. The outcome turned a harrowing scene around: he survived and in 2022 returned to play for Brentford in the Premier League.

5. Chapecoense: the team that flew to a final and never arrived

On November 28, 2016, the plane carrying Chapecoense's delegation crashed near Medellín. The club was on its way to play the Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional. Seventy-one people died. Among the survivors was Alan Ruschel, who in 2017 played again in the tribute match Barcelona organized at the Camp Nou. A dream final had ended in tragedy.

Rescuers work among the wreckage of the Chapecoense plane on a hillside near Medellín — Rescue work after the crash on November 28, 2016.

6. Roberto Rojas and the Maracanã hoax

A flare landed near Roberto Rojas during Brazil vs. Chile on September 3, 1989. The goalkeeper ended up injured and the Chilean team walked off the pitch. It was later confirmed that the flare had not hit him: Rojas had cut himself to fake an attack. The hoax came at a huge cost: Chile was banned from the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup.

7. The so-called ghost of the Libertadores

During The Strongest vs. Defensor Sporting in the 2014 Libertadores, a figure appeared running through the stands at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz. It seemed to pass right through the fans and the video sparked talk of an apparition. Another recording explained the effect: it was a person moving along a walkway on a different level. The perspective had turned a fan into a so-called ghost.

Broadcast screenshot with a red circle around a figure running through the stands at the Hernando Siles stadium — The figure that sparked the ghost story in La Paz.

The shadow in La Paz had an explanation.

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