Retirement
In July 2009 Asprilla officially retired from top flight football following a retirement match in Medellín, Colombia. Although this marks his official retirement date, he had not been actively employed by a professional side in around 5 years.
Subsequently he was rumoured to at one stage be on the books of Slovenian side NK Bravo, who play in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, and to have been running an academy, coaching young players in Colombia. In 2008 he was arrested for allegedly firing a machine-gun at security forces near his farm in Colombia. He was placed under house arrest on charges of weapons possession and criminal damage. He has appeared in various Colombian Reality Shows, such as Desafio 2005 and Nomadas. In 2011 he has been spotted attending Newcastle United matches, his cult status amongst English supporters meaning his presence often draws comment. At the Stadium of Light for the Sunderland vs Newcastle game on 17 January 2011 he was in the away end sporting a Newcastle scarf. He made a return to St. James' Park on 22 January 2011 appearing on the pitch at half time during Newcastle United's Premier League home game against Tottenham Hotspur and attended a charity dinner in Gateshead that evening, alongside Les Ferdinand and Peter Beardsley, where he spoke of his affection for the Newcastle fans.
Read more about this topic: Faustino Asprilla
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