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'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.
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.
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.
U.S. health authorities on Friday, 11 September, declared the nation’s largest recorded multistate cyclos...
The head of artificial intelligence company Anthropic has called for the industry to slow the pace at whic...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the ...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Mexico and the U.S. are racing to secure a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections in less than eight weeks, according to six sources familiar with the talks, with failed negotiations between Washington and Canada adding urgency.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the leading opposition candidate in Brazil’s upcoming presidential election, is under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering and currency evasion tied to the financing of a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Philippine rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from a ferry fire on Saturday (12 September), taking the death toll to 76, while 13 people remained unaccounted for as forensic teams worked to identify the victims.
Russia and Ukraine are continuing to exchange long-range strikes, with Russian attacks killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens across several Ukrainian regions on Saturday, while both sides reported damage to infrastructure and shipping.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment