In a scene of unimaginable horror, a casual football match in Ecuador descended into a brutal public execution when five masked gunmen, disguised as police officers, stormed onto an artificial pitch and murdered an alleged criminal gang leader.
The Pitch Invasion That Became a Killing Field
The terrifying incident unfolded in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where players initially dropped to the ground, believing they were being approached by legitimate law enforcement. This assumption proved fatally wrong as the armed men calmly walked to the centre of the field and identified their target.
A Cold-Blooded Public Execution
Shocking footage of the attack shows one gunman placing his boot on the victim's head before shooting him dead at point-blank range. The other seven players watched in terror, fearing for their own lives as the impersonators checked their faces before fleeing the scene.
The entire deadly assault lasted approximately five minutes, after which the surviving players desperately ran from the pitch, leaving their murdered companion behind.
Gangland Connections and Additional Victims
Police later identified the executed man as Stalin Rolando Olivero Vargas, alleged ringleader of the Los Lagartos criminal gang that reportedly controlled the local area. According to Interior Minister Juan Reimburg, Vargas had been considering defecting to a rival crime organisation.
Investigators discovered two additional dead bodies nearby, identified as Jefferson Sanlon Olivero and Richard Josué Mina Vergara. All three victims had previous criminal convictions for serious offences including murder, drug trafficking, and robbery.
Premeditated Violence with Stolen Weapons
Reports from local media outlet El Universo indicate the gunmen had beaten and tied up security guards before stealing their weapons, suggesting careful planning prior to the pitch invasion. Police confirmed they had been monitoring the slain gang leader in the days preceding his murder.
No arrests have been made in connection with the killings, and authorities have not publicly confirmed a definitive motive for the brutal attack.
Ecuador's Escalating Security Crisis
This football pitch execution represents another grim chapter in Ecuador's escalating security crisis, where drug-trafficking violence has reached alarming levels across the South American nation.
The incident follows another particularly gruesome discovery where five human heads were found hanging above a popular tourist beach in Puerto Lopez. Police suggested this macabre display likely served as a warning between rival criminal factions.
As investigations continue into the football field murder, the brazen nature of the attack – conducted in broad daylight before multiple witnesses – highlights the challenges facing Ecuadorian authorities in containing organised crime violence that increasingly spills into public spaces.
