The buildup to the match between Mexico and Ecuador began long before the opening whistle.
During the early morning, dozens of Mexican fans gathered outside the hotel where the Ecuadorian national team was staying and organized a noisy rally with drums, trumpets, horns, fireworks, and chants with one very clear objective: to try to prevent the players from resting before the match.
The images began circulating just a few hours later and sparked an intense debate. While some celebrated the fans’ creativity and described it as part of football folklore, others criticized the initiative for considering that it seeks to gain an advantage off the field and affects the players’ rest.
The Ecuadorian delegation requested police intervention, and officers had to go to the scene to disperse the agitators. But there is even more: the Ecuadorians sent a formal complaint to FIFA.
These kinds of actions are not new in South American and Central American football, where on more than one occasion fans have held serenades, rallies, or nighttime demonstrations outside rival national teams’ hotels before decisive matches.
However, at a World Cup the scene took on much greater repercussions and once again raised a question among fans: is it a football tradition or a sign of disrespect that should be punished?
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