Ecuadoran footballer Mario Pineida was shot and killed in the port city of Guayaquil on Wednesday, his club confirmed, in the latest attack linked to rising gang violence in the country.⁣ ⁣ Pineida, 33, represented Ecuador’s national team during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifying campaigns, though he was not selected for the finals in Qatar. He also played for Brazil’s Fluminense in 2022 and most recently for Barcelona SC.⁣ ⁣ In a statement posted on X, Barcelona SC said it had been “officially notified, with deep sorrow, of the death of our player Mario Pineida,” describing the killing as the result of an armed attack in Guayaquil. Ecuador’s Interior Ministry later confirmed his death and said a special police unit had been assigned to the investigation.⁣ ⁣ Local outlet Primicias reported that Pineida was attacked by two assailants on motorcycles, who opened fire on him, his mother, and another woman. The circumstances surrounding the attack remain under investigation.⁣ ⁣ Guayaqui...