The Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital (HPTU) in Medellín, where the Colombian coach was hospitalized Pedro Sarmiento for five months, officially confirmed this Wednesday the death of the 68-year-old coach, who during his time as a player was part of the Colombian national team. After family members denied the information provided this Wednesday morning by the Colombian Football Federation (FCF) with a publication on their X account in which they regretted the death, the medical center issued a statement that night reporting the death. of the former footballer and coach.
“The Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital regrets to inform the community of the death of Professor Pedro Enrique Sarmiento Solís, at 6:43 p.m. on October 30, 2024, after the deterioration of his state of health,” the HPTU reported. In the statement he added: “The professor was under our care and in the company of his family at all times, mainly in his last hours of life.” His brother Juan Carlos Jaramillo told the local newspaper ‘El Colombiano’ that the technical director had been hospitalized for five months fighting polycythemia (a type of blood cancer) that was diagnosed in May of this year.
During his last day, Sarmiento, who was on the bench for teams such as Deportivo Cali, Independiente Medellín, Santa Fe, Cúcuta Deportivo, Deportivo Pereira, Águilas Doradas and Unión Magdalena, received a visit from his colleagues Francisco Maturana, Hernán Darío ‘Bolillo’ Gómez and Hernán Darío Herrera.
Once his death was made official, Atlético Nacional, the team in which Sarmiento played, joined in the mourning, “deeply regretting the death of Pedro Sarmiento, who won the titles in ’76 and ’81.” “His mark on the club and on Colombian football will last forever,” the club added.
For its part, Deportivo Independiente Medellín dedicated a statement of gratitude to him in reference to one of his best achievements as a coach, as he won the 2004 league against Atlético Nacional with that team. “Pedro Sarmiento left an indelible mark, a legacy of passion and dedication that will forever resonate in the stands of the Atanasio Girardot (…) His time at DIM was not just a stage, but an epic written with sweat and tears,” Medellín published on its website.
He made Deportivo de Cali champion
He was coach of Deportivo Cali, with which he also won the Colombian championship in 2005, Independiente Santa Fe, Cúcuta Deportivo, Deportivo Pereira, Águilas Doradas and Unión Magdalena. He said goodbye to the technical bench in 2023 with Once Caldas and in Envigado players such as Juan Fernando Quintero and Frank Fabra passed through his hands, who also regretted his departure.
During his time as a player, Sarmiento played for the Colombian national team from 1980 to 1985, a period in which he played 37 games and scored three goals. He was part of the team that played in the South American Qualifiers for the World Cup in Spain 1982 and Mexico 1986. One of his most glorious moments was in the 1980 Olympic Qualifiers, when the team qualified for Moscow 1980. Sarmiento scored three goals in the 5-1 victory against Brazil in Cali.
Read also
Sarmiento debuted as a professional player in 1976 with Atlético Nacional and retired at América de Cali in 1989, after 13 years of activity. After his retirement he was part of the América de Cali coaching staff, directed by the late Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, and had recently worked as a soccer commentator in various media outlets.
