[SPORTS ★★]
SOCCER STAR ASSASSINATED IN HONDURAS
(P1) Honduran international footballer Arnold Peralta has been shot dead while on holiday in his HOMETOWN.
(P2) He was ASSASSINATED in the car park of a shopping centre in La Ceiba, on the country’s Caribbean coast. The MOTIVE for the attack is unclear.
(P3) The 26-year-old midfielder played for the Scottish team called the Rangers until January, then joined the Olimpia team in his own country.
(P4) Honduras is PLAGUED by gang VIOLENCE and has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
(P5) Peralta had complained about violence in his homeland in a tweet late last year.
(P6) He wrote: “How difficult it is for our country with so many criminals killing every so often, as though killing was in fashion! These types of people don’t deserve to be alive.”
(P7) “This is terrible,” his father Carlos told a news conference. “They killed my EXEMPLARY son. I can’t say more because of the pain I feel.”
(P8) His Honduras team-mate Boniek Garcia tweeted (in Spanish): “REST IN PEACE brother, God receive you in Heaven, you will stay in our hearts. Support and strength to the family.”
(P9) There will be a minute’s silence held before the Rangers game on Saturday, Peralta’s former team said in a statement on its website.
(P10) “The players will also wear black armbands IN HIS HONOR“, it added.
(P11) Government officials said that Peralta had been hit by 18 bullets.
(P12) Osman Madrid, director of the Honduran football FEDERATION, said it was a “tragic death that we all MOURN“.
(P13) No arrests have been made. Police RULED OUT ROBBERY as a possible motive because Peralta had not had his BELONGINGS taken.
WORDS: 270
SOURCE: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35068362
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Peralta had just joined a soccer team in Honduras. Do you think he was killed by a supporter of a RIVAL team, or for a different reason?
- Is it possible that criminals in Honduras were angered by Peralta’s tweet against violence in the country?
- Soccer has a high level of OFF THE FIELD violence, such as RIOTS. Have there been any examples of sports-related violence in your country?
- We usually associate assassinations with politicians, although in recent years other types of famous people have also been killed. Have there been any political assassinations in your country?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Rest in peace
- In someone’s honor
- Rule out
- Off the field
