Ecuadorian footballer Mario Pineida shot dead
Ecuadorian police confirmed on Wednesday that Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old defender for Barcelona de Guayaquil, was shot dead in an apparent attack amid rising violence in the Andean nation.
Another individual, whose identity has not been released, was also killed in the incident, and a third person was injured, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
The Interior Ministry of Ecuador confirmed Pineida’s death but did not provide further details. In a statement, Barcelona de Guayaquil expressed sorrow over the loss of the player.
Pineida began his professional career at Independiente del Valle, playing there from 2010 to 2015. He joined Barcelona de Guayaquil in 2016, where he won two league titles, and had a brief stint with Brazil’s Fluminense in 2022.
Local media reported that the shooting occurred in the Samanes area in northern Guayaquil, about 265 kilometers (165 miles) southwest of the capital, Quito.
Ecuador is on track for its deadliest year, with the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime projecting over 9,000 homicides. This follows 7,063 violent deaths last year and a record 8,248 in 2023.
President Daniel Noboa has vowed to combat criminal organizations that have expanded operations in Ecuador in connection with international drug cartels.
In recent months, similar tragedies have struck Ecuadorian football. In November, a 16-year-old player from Independiente del Valle was killed by a stray bullet in Guayaquil. Two months earlier, Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yépez of Exapromo Costa, along with Jonathan González of 22 de Junio, were also killed by gunfire.
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