Former football star Mario Pineida killed as violence escalates in Ecuador

Former Fluminense prima Mario Pineida is killed successful onslaught arsenic Ecuadorian president responds to astir convulsive twelvemonth successful history.

Ecuadorian constabulary person said that Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old Barcelona de Guayaquil defender and erstwhile nationalist squad player, was changeable dormant successful an evident onslaught arsenic unit escalates successful the Andean nation.

Another idiosyncratic who constabulary did not place was besides killed successful the incidental connected Wednesday, and a 3rd was wounded.

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Ecuador’s interior ministry confirmed Pineida’s decease without providing details. Barcelona de Guayaquil said successful a connection that its fans are saddened by Pineida’s death.

Pineida played 8 games for Ecuador, including qualifying for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but was not progressive successful the squad qualifying for the 2026 edition.

His past crippled for Ecuador was astatine the 2021 Copa America, arsenic a precocious substitute successful a group-stage crippled against Brazil. He besides went to the 2017 edition.

Pineida started his nonrecreational vocation astatine Independiente del Valle, wherever helium played from 2010 to 2015. He past moved to the nine of the coastal metropolis of Guayaquil successful 2016 and won 2 league titles there. The defender besides had a little spell astatine Brazil’s Fluminense successful 2022.

Ecuadorian media reported the incidental took spot successful the portion of Samanes successful the northbound extremity of Guayaquil, which lies 265 kilometres (165 miles) southwest of the capital, Quito.

Digital quality outlet Primicias reported Pineida was attacked by 2 radical riding motorcycles, who opened occurrence connected him, his parent and different woman.

Mario Pineida successful enactment for Barcelona de Guayaquil successful the semifinal of the 2021 Copa Libertadores [Franklin Jacome/Reuters]

Ecuador, erstwhile 1 of Latin America’s safest countries, has go a cardinal cocaine transit hub betwixt apical producers Colombia and Peru, and consumers astir the world.

Guayaquil has go a hotspot for pack unit linked to cause trafficking and respective shot players successful Ecuador person been targeted successful caller months.

Car bombings, shootings and extortion person been connected the emergence successful the region, which recorded 1,900 murders betwixt January and September – the highest toll successful Ecuador.

Ecuador is expected to person its astir convulsive twelvemonth connected grounds with much than 9,000 homicides, according to the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime. That fig was astatine 7,063 convulsive deaths past twelvemonth and a then-record 8,248 successful 2023.

President Daniel Noboa has pledged to combat transgression organisations that person expanded their operations successful Ecuadorian territory successful transportation with planetary cause cartels.

In November, a 16-year-old footballer of Independiente del Valle died from a stray bullet, besides successful Guayaquil.

Two months earlier, 3 players from Ecuador’s 2nd part – Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yepez, some players of Exapromo Costa, and Jonathan Gonzalez, of 22 de Junio – died from gunshot wounds.

In October, section footballer Bryan Angula was wounded successful a shooting.