Ecuador national team player Mario Pineida was killed in a shooting in Guayaquil, a city plagued by drug gang violence and soaring murder rates
ECUADORIAN footballer Mario Pineida was shot and killed in the port city of Guayaquil on Wednesday.
His club, Barcelona SC, announced the death in a post on social media platform X.
The club said it “regrets to inform, with deep sorrow, that it has been officially notified of the death of our player Mario Pineida, an event that occurred following an attack against him” in Guayaquil.
Pineida, 33, was part of Ecuador’s national team during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.
He also played for Brazilian club Fluminense in 2022.
The Interior Ministry confirmed his death and assigned a special police unit to investigate the case.
Digital news outlet Primicias reported Pineida was attacked by two people on motorcycles who opened fire on him, his mother and another woman.
Guayaquil has become a hotspot for gang violence linked to international drug trafficking.
Several football players in Ecuador have been targeted in violent attacks in recent months.
In September, three players from Ecuador’s second division were killed, with one allegedly linked to sports betting.
Local footballer Bryan Angula was wounded in a shooting a month later in October.
Ecuador was once considered one of Latin America’s safest countries.
It has since become a key transit hub for cocaine moving between producers Colombia and Peru and global consumers.
Car bombings, shootings and extortion have surged in Guayaquil.
The city recorded 1,900 murders between January and September this year, the highest toll in Ecuador. – AFP