St Mary’s Sport Journalist Wins Funding for Documentary

An MA Sports Journalism student at St Mary’s University, Twickenham has received £1,000 funding from a media organisation to document corruption in Colombian football. Gerardo Lemos is being supported by One World Media to investigate how links to drug lords saw a popular Colombian football team, America Futbol Club, relegated to the second division for the first time in its history. For almost 30 years, a drug cartel in Cali, Colombia used the club for money laundering; a phenomenon known in Colombia as ‘Narco’ football. After 1994, the Colombian authorities as well as the United States declared 'war' against America Futbol Club and the USA authorities froze all its bank accounts, warning off sponsors and future investors. The team sunk into a financial crisis, leading to relegation in 2012. Gerardo, a Colombian native, will tell the story of how the people of Cali have taken control of their football club and are working hard to bring it back to the first division, free of cartel influence. He said, “I'm very happy and excited about this project. It is good to get back to work on a documentary of this nature. I've made so many sacrifices to get here and finally it is paying off. “I would like to thank One World Media for this great opportunity. I can't wait to be in Colombia producing this football documentary. Two St Mary's MA Sports Journalism students have been selected to receive funding and we will deliver the best products, of that I have no doubt.” The documentary will add to Gerardo’s credentials as a sports correspondent for Colombian news network NTN24 and a football commentator for TalkSport Radio Spanish. The production forms part of One World Media’s ethos of helping young people cover stories in the developing world and sharing them with a wider audience. MA Sports Journalism student Neil Kingston also received funding from One World Media to support his documentary about football in Mongolia.