Ecuadorian soccer player Mario Pineida has died.
Mario Pineida was on loan at Fluminense in the 2022 season. PDO
Ecuadorian soccer player Mario Pineida33, has died in a shootout, the country’s police confirmed Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Barcelona de Guayaquil defender was killed in a violent attack in Guayaquil. Another person also died in the shooting and one person was injured, he says, among other things ESPN.
According to the authorities, the background of the incident is the intensified wave of violence in Ecuador, but no more detailed information has been given so far about the motive for the shooting. Ecuador’s Interior Ministry confirmed Pineida’s death without further comment.
Police cordoned off the area. PDO
Pineida represented Ecuador’s premier league club Barcelona de Guayaquil in the 2016–2025 seasons. During the seasons, he also went on loan to the Ecuadorian El Nacional and the Brazilian Fluminense.
In addition, he represented the Ecuadorian national team in nine A national matches between 2015 and 2021.
The club said in its announcement that its supporters and the entire community were deeply shocked by the defender’s death.
According to Ecuadorian media, the shooting took place in the Samanes district in the northern part of Guayaquil. Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador by population.
Pineida’s death is one of the latest examples of the security crisis rocking Ecuador.
According to Ecuador’s organized crime monitoring center, it is a record-breaking year of violence. Over 9,000 murders have been committed during the year.
According to AFP, 1,900 murders took place in Guayaquil alone between January and September.
According to ESPN, there were 7,063 violent deaths in Ecuador last year and a record 8,248 in 2023.
Violence has also touched football in the past. At least three other football players have been killed violently in the past year.
The population of Ecuador is about 18 million.