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Mexico's players and coaching staff have been compelled to hand back luxury Rolex watches, collectively valued at $1 million, that were gifted to them by American internet personality Stevewilldoit.
Javier Aguirre's squad received the presents ahead of Mexico's commanding 2–0 win over Ecuador at the Estadio Azteca, setting the stage for a potentially historic round of 16 clash against England, with a quarterfinal berth at the World Cup on the line.
El Tri have put together an outstanding run on home turf, going unbeaten across all four matches, with passionate Mexican fans serving as the heartbeat of what has been a remarkably successful tournament so far. Aguirre's squad are being celebrated as national heroes, and they'll be etched into Mexican soccer history forever should they topple the Three Lions at the legendary Azteca on Sunday evening.
An already memorable tournament got even sweeter when the squad received a visit from Stephen Deleonardis, better known as Stevewilldoit, who rose to online fame through extreme drinking stunts before becoming associated with the notorious NELK Boys.
FIFA Rules Force Mexico To Return $1 Million Worth of Rolexes
Mexican national futbol team celebratory jump toss thing whatever u wanna call it 😂 #stevewilldoit pic.twitter.com/tjq0XBB313
Steve paid the Mexico squad a visit the day before their round of 32 fixture in the capital, distributing high-end Rolexes to every player and staff member in Aguirre's group. In a YouTube video, he revealed the entire collection was worth $1 million, with individual watches ranging in value from $30,000 to $90,000.
His appearance was greeted with tremendous enthusiasm by the players, who were set to pocket a generous bonus from an unexpected benefactor.
However, the watches were subsequently returned to Steve following FIFA regulations, which stipulate under Article 21 of their Code of Ethics that gifts are forbidden unless they carry "symbolic or trivial value".
The governing body further specifies that gifts are not allowed if they are offered or received "as a way of influencing" those bound by the code to act in a certain manner, violate any regulations, or create a conflict of interest.
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Any breaches could lead to a $12,500 fine and, more critically, "a ban on taking part in any football-related activity for a maximum of two years".
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A statement from the Mexican national team read: "The SNM reports that by mutual agreement, our players decided to return to the content creator, @stevewilldoit, the watches that he had gifted them on his own initiative."
Steve, who resides in Mexico and repeatedly expressed his deep affection for the country to the players, not only reclaimed the watches but also placed a $2 million wager on El Tri to defeat Ecuador, reportedly netting a $1 million profit in return.