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Mexico World Cup team returns Rolex watches worth $1 million
A pre-loved Rolex watch is displayed at the Watchfinder outlet retail store at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, Britain, 21 August, 2024
Reuters
Mexico's national football team has returned luxury Rolex watches gifted by American content creator Stevewilldoit after concerns that they could conflict with FIFA's ethics rules.
The watches were given to players at Mexico's training base ahead of their World Cup round-of-32 match against Ecuador, which Mexico went on to win 2-0.
Stevewilldoit, whose real name is Stephen Deleonardis, said in a video posted to his YouTube channel that the watches were worth between $30,000 and $90,000 each, with a total value of around $1 million.
In the video, Deleonardis said he had placed a $2 million bet on Mexico to beat Ecuador. He told players that the wager would generate a profit of about $1 million — the same value as the watches he distributed to the squad.
When asked by midfielder Obed Vargas why he had provided the gifts, Deleonardis said it was because he lived in Mexico and was backing the team to win.
FIFA rules limit gifts
FIFA's code of ethics allows only gifts of "symbolic or trivial value" and prohibits gifts that could be perceived as influencing participants or creating a conflict of interest.
Violations of the rules can result in disciplinary measures, including fines of up to 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,500) and bans from football-related activities for up to two years.
Team returns the gifts
Mexico later announced on its social media channels that the watches would be returned.
The team said the decision had been made jointly with Deleonardis and stressed that the gifts had been offered on the content creator's own initiative.
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The episode comes as Mexico continues its World Cup campaign on home soil. The co-host nation has yet to concede a goal in four matches and is preparing to face England in the round of 16 at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on Sunday.
While the gifts have now been returned, the incident has drawn attention to FIFA's strict rules on gifts and potential conflicts of interest during major international tournaments.
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