Ecuador's Federation Files Complaint with FIFA After Fan Noise Ahead of World Cup Round of 16

Police reportedly arrived only around midnight to disperse the crowd outside the hotel. Ecuadorian players subsequently reported having barely found any rest during the night. The journey to Mexico City had already been grueling, according to the federation: the trip from the base camp in the U.S. state of Ohio took nine hours—three hours longer than originally planned.

Ecuador's head coach Sebastián Beccacece apologized at a press conference at the Azteca Stadium, which began roughly 75 minutes later than scheduled, for the visible exhaustion of his players. Beccacece also emphasized his team's unconditional fighting spirit and dismissed any excuses. "We took three hours longer than planned. We don't know why," said the coach regarding the extended journey.

In its statement, the FEF called on the responsible authorities to "pay greater attention to these incidents and take the necessary measures to ensure the integrity of our players, our coaching staff, and our fans." At the same time, the federation expressed confidence "that these unsportsmanlike incidents will not tarnish the football celebration that unites two brotherly nations and that respect, healthy competition, and fair play will prevail."

The FEF further announced that Ecuador would, in principle, respond to unsportsmanlike actions on the pitch. Sporting retaliation was to be the chosen means, not withdrawal from dialogue. A substantive statement from the Mexican Football Federation on the incidents was not initially available; the federation declined to comment.

FIFA also did not initially comment on the incidents when asked. The disruptive tactic of interrupting opposing teams' sleep with noise is a well-known, though controversial, method in international football in the lead-up to important matches.

Background

Sportingly, the winner of the group, in which Ecuador secured its ticket to the round of the best 32 with a 2-1 victory over Germany, faces an in-form Mexican co-host that had won all three of its group games without conceding a goal. The round-of-16 match was scheduled for matchday at 7:00 p.m. local time (3:00 a.m. CEST) at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, with the broadcast on Magenta TV.

Reactions

Background

Outlook

The Ecuadorian team traveled from a base camp in the U.S. state of Ohio. The journey was originally supposed to take six hours but took nine. No reasons have been given so far. Head coach Beccacece spoke at his press conference at the Azteca Stadium, which began with a significant delay, of an inexplicable delay.

Reactions

Besides the FEF, neither FIFA nor the Mexican Football Federation initially commented on the incidents. The Mexican media outlets "El Financiero" and "Récord" had reported on the calls on social media and the subsequent noise actions outside the hotel.

Outlook

The sporting response is to follow on the pitch. The FEF announced that Ecuador would, in principle, respond to unsportsmanlike actions on the field. The round-of-16 match in the evening (local time) at the Azteca Stadium is considered the first real litmus test for the surprise team from South America.