Honduras ,December 11: Arnold Peralta, the former Rangers midfielder, has been shot dead in a shopping mall parking lot in his home town of La Ceiba on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. Perolta was on a holiday.
In a statement, police said the Honduras international was killed outside the Uniplaza mall on Thursday. The 26-year-old was on holiday following the conclusion of his club’s season.
Police still couldn’t trace the murderers and the motive for the attack was also unknown. In a second statement later, officials ruled out robbery as a possible motive. The country is plagued by gang violence and has one of the world’s highest murder rates.
Peralta was a ex-Rangers player.he had played 29 times for Rangers. he left the club in January to return to Honduras to play for Club Deportivo Olimpia.. Previously he played for Club Deportivo Vida. Peralta won the 2013/14 Scottish League One title but he left for Honduras in the January transfer window to join Deportivo Olimpia.
Peralta had been capped 24 times for Honduras and played at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as well as the 2012 London Olympics.The player’s father, Carlos Peralta, confirmed the death at a news conference. “This is terrible. They killed my exemplary son. I can’t say more because of the pain I feel.”
Osman Madrid, director of Honduras’ national football federation, said, “This is a tragic death that the national sport mourns.”
Olimpia were eliminated from the league’s semi-final last weekend by their arch rival, Motagua.
The club expressed its condolences through its official Twitter account “We deeply regret the death of Arnold12-favian (Peralta) and the continuing violent deaths in our country.”
Peralta had been scheduled to play in the national team’s friendly against Cuba next week.