Professional Ecuadorian soccer player Jonathan Gonzalez was killed on Friday during an armed attack. This incident has increased the number of soccer players killed in the country to three since the beginning of September, reports Mundo Deportivo, citing local police.
Jonathan GonzalezPlaying for the team “22 de Julio” (second league), Jonathan, 31, a former player for “Olimpia” (Paraguay) and “León” (Mexico), sustained gunshot wounds. Another victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, died while being transported to the hospital.
The attack occurred at a house in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, on the border with Colombia, where clashes between drug gangs are taking place. In total, three soccer players have died in September due to violence.
On September 10, Maikol Valencia and Leandro Yepes, players from the team “Exapromo Costa” (second league), were killed during an armed attack in the coastal city of Manta in the southwest of the country. According to the club, the players were innocent victims as they were not the target of the attack.
In Ecuador, the murder rate has increased from 6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 38 in 2024; the record is 47 in 2023. Previously, the country was considered a safe haven between Colombia and Peru, the largest producers of cocaine in the world.
