A day after the murder of Mario Pineida, a footballer for Barcelona de Guayaquil, family, friends, and teammates said their final goodbyes in an emotional wake held at Parque de la Paz Aurora, located in the Daule canton, after The armed attack occurred in the coastal city of Guayaquil.

This Friday, a mass will be held in his honor at the same cemetery at 3:00 PM ET. An hour later, the burial will take place, amidst profound consternation in Ecuadorian football.

Family and fans gathered at the morgue

During the morning, family members and Barcelona SC supporters gathered outside the morgue to say goodbye to the player and his partner, a 39-year-old Peruvian woman, who also died during the attack.

“My daughter had no enemies, she wasn't hiding, she hadn't received any threats,” declared the mother of Pineida's partner, who also asked for “justice” and defended him as a “very noble” person.

The pain of the yellow fans

Fans of the Barcelona SC team were also present to pay tribute to the footballer. Eduardo Santander, a Barcelona fan, expressed his “anger, sadness, and helplessness” over what happened and vowed to “always wear the yellow jersey.”

Barcelona Sporting Club announced that they offered the Monumental Banco Pichincha stadium to the family for the wake. However, the player's relatives declined the offer and opted for the Parque de la Paz Aurora cemetery.

Farewell messages from Ecuador and around the world

Social media was flooded with farewell messages for the left-back, known for his dedication on the field. Even international clubs, such as Real Madrid, expressed their condolences for the footballer's death.

Pineida died after being shot multiple times in an attack carried out in broad daylight in a busy area of ??Guayaquil.The most populated city in the country and one of the main epicenters of criminal violence linked to organized crime in Ecuador.

Advances in the crime investigation

The Guayaquil Municipal Security Company and the National Police reported this Thursday on the arrest of a suspected accomplice in the armed attack, as part of the operations deployed after the crime.

The career of “El Pitbull” Pineida

Known as “El Pitbull,” Mario Pineida, 33, began his professional career at Independiente del Valle and developed a career that included stints with Fluminense in Brazil and Ecuadorian clubs such as El Nacional and Barcelona SC, an institution he returned to in several periods and where he was currently playing.

A crime that aggravates the crisis in Ecuadorian football

Pineida's murder adds to a series of armed attacks against professional footballers registered in Ecuador so far this year. Among them is the murder of midfielder Jonathan “Speedy” Gonzalez, a player for the 22 de Julio club, who was killed on September 19 in the province of Esmeraldas while playing in the second division. Ecuador has been living under an “internal armed conflict” since 2024, declared by President Daniel Noboa, with the aim of intensifying the fight against criminal gangs, which the government blames for the escalating violence that has plagued the country in recent years.with the aim of intensifying the fight against criminal gangs, which the Government blames for the escalation of violence that has plagued the country in recent years.

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