Brother of Colombia women’s football star gunned down in nightclub shooting

Death of DJ Paulo Andres Carabali overshadows triumphant return of Colombia team after most successful women’s football tournament ever

Jorelyn Carabali of Colombia in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Quarter Final match between England and Colombia at Stadium Australia on 12 August 2023 (Getty Images)

The younger brother of Colombia’s women’s football star Jorelyn Carabalí was killed in the early hours of Monday in a nightclub shooting, local police in the city of Cali said.

The 23-year-old DJ Paulo Andres Carabali died after a gunman shot at him in a Cali nightclub, according to the authorities.

Carabali, who was one of the key players in her team’s run to the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals, thanked them for their support following the incident.

While Colombia’s football federation issued a statement saying the welcome-home festivities for the squad’s return from the tournament in Australia and New Zealand will go as scheduled on Tuesday, it was unclear if Carabalí would be joining for the event.

One of the best-performing underdogs in the World Cup, the Colombia team’s involvement ended at the quarter-final stage after they lost to England 2-1 in Sydney on Saturday.

Carabali started all five matches for her team at the world cup, where standout performances included beating two-time champions Germany in the group stage and South Korea to advance to the round of 16.

They made it to the final eight after beating Jamaica 1-0 in Melbourne on 8 August. But their fairytale run came to a halt after they lost 2-1 to European champions England, who advanced to face Australia in the semi-finals.

Additional reporting by agencies