Third soccer player killed in Ecuador in September | Sports

QUITO, Sept 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Ecuadoran soccer player Jonathan Gonzalez was killed on Friday in what was the third murder of an athlete in the South American country since the start of September, according to police. Authorities said the 31-year-old -- nicknamed "Speedy" Gonzalez -- suffered "gunshot wounds" in an attack inside a house in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, which borders Colombia and is plagued by rival drug gangs. A second victim, who was not identified, died while being rushed to hospital. Ecuador is nestled between the world's biggest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, and has become the departure point for 70 percent of the world's supply of the drug. With an influx of gangs, the homicide rate...