In brief
Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old defender who played for Ecuador's national team and had a notable club career, has been killed in a shooting incident in Guayaquil. Local media reported that he was shot by assailants on motorbikes outside a shop. The Ecuadorian football community and officials have expressed their condolences amidst growing concerns over escalating gang violence in the city.
Ecuador defender Mario Pineida has died at the age of 33 after being shot in Guayaquil.Local media reported that Pineida was shot on Wednesday by two people on motorbikes who opened fire on him, his mother, and another woman outside a shop in the north of the city. Ecuador's interior ministry said it has sent a special police unit to investigate.Guayaquil has become a hotspot for gang violence and drug trafficking, recording 1,900 murders between January and September - the highest in Ecuador. In recent months, incidents involving footballers have raised alarm; three second-tier footballers were killed in September, and a local player was injured in October.Pineida won nine caps for Ecuador between 2014 and 2021. He began his club career at Independiente DV before moving to Barcelona SC in Guayaquil in 2016. He also spent time on loan at Fluminense and El Nacional. Independiente and Fluminense paid tribute to Pineida on social media, while Barcelona SC expressed that 'this unfortunate news makes all of us who are part of this institution deeply dismayed.' The Ecuadorian Football Federation condemned the violence and sent condolences to Pineida's family.
