International footballer Mario Pineida, a player for Barcelona de Guayaquil, was killed in an armed attack in the north of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s most populous and violent city, according to the Ministry of Interior and the club.
“Barcelona Sporting Club informs, with deep regret, that it has been officially notified of the death of our player Mario Pineida, which occurred after an attack against him,” the club said in a statement.
The club said the news has left them “deeply dismayed” and “mourning as a Barcelona family.”
In addition, the club said that in the coming hours it will inform about the acts that will be held in his memory. “We ask our members, fans and public opinion to say a prayer for the repose of his soul and for strength for his family in this moment of intense pain,” Barcelona added.
Police work the scene as the body of slain soccer player Mario Pineida lies on the floor.
The career of Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old Ecuador international
Ecuadorian international from the U-15 to the senior national team
Fourth armed attack in a year against soccer players in Ecuador
So far this year, there have been at least four armed attacks against soccer players from professional clubs in Ecuador, including the one that occurred on September 19, when midfielder Jonathan ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez, from the club 22 de Julio, was killed in the province of Esmeraldas, on the border with Colombia
Ecuador has been living since 2024 under an “internal armed conflict” declared by President Daniel Noboa to intensify the fight against criminal gangs, which the government blames for the escalation of violence in the Andean country in recent years.
an average of one murder per hour
