Barcelona SC Defender Mario Pineida and Wife Shot Dead in Guayaquil

Overview

• Ecuador’s Interior Ministry confirmed the attack and said a special police unit is leading the investigation.
• The shooting occurred outside a butcher shop in the Samanes/Sanales area of Guayaquil, with two assailants on motorcycles reported by local media.
• Pineida’s mother was injured but is out of danger, according to police official Coronel Edison Palacios.
• Hours before the attack, Barcelona SC president Antonio Álvarez said a player had requested protection after receiving death threats, without identifying the player.
• Pineida’s death follows a series of killings of Ecuadorian footballers in 2025, as league and UN reports point to match manipulation and organized crime pressures in the sport.