Murder, cocaine and match-fixing: Ecuadorian football caught between two worlds
Ecuadorian football is increasingly affected by the country's criminal violence. Players are being murdered, clubs used for money laundering and matches fixed by drug gangs.
Murder, cocaine and match-fixing: Ecuadorian football caught between two worlds
The escalating wave of violence that Ecuador has suffered for years has also reached professional football. The South American country experienced its most violent year in history in 2025, with a homicide rate of 50 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to figures from the Interior Ministry. In 2020, that figure was just 8.
This criminal surge has had a direct impact on the beautiful game. In September 2025, second-division player Jonathan González was murdered, allegedly for failing to fix a match. Months later, in December, former international Mario Pineida—capped nine times for his country—was shot dead alongside his partner in the street in Guayaquil.
The connection between football and organised crime extends beyond the murders. Clubs, especially those on the coast around Guayaquil, are used for money laundering. Second-division players are particularly vulnerable: their low salaries make them easy targets for bribes and pressure. Once they comply, it becomes almost impossible for them to escape the gangs.
Ecuador has become a key corridor for the international cocaine trade. Its geographical location, between Colombia and Peru—the leading producing countries—and its major ports facilitate massive exports to Europe. "The drugs arrive in Europe together with banana containers," explains political scientist Jonas Wolff. The profit margins are enormous thanks to high demand and the prices paid on the old continent.
The government's response has been a "hard hand" approach. President Daniel Noboa declared a state of exception and announced an internal armed conflict in 2024, allowing military deployment on national territory. However, this strategy barely scratches the surface of the problem, according to experts. "As long as there is demand, there will always be someone trying to meet it," Wolff warns.
Despite the chaos, oases exist. The training facility of Club Deportivo Independiente del Valle, on the outskirts of Quito, is considered the most modern in the country and a haven of peace. Players such as Piero Hincapié and Willian Pacho emerged from there and have found success in Europe.
Source: GMX
Source: Google News CH — Crime (de)