Journalist reports Mexican cartel threat to knock Ecuador out of World Cup

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Coluna do Fla

·3 July 2026

Journalist reports Mexican cartel threat to knock Ecuador out of World Cup

Plata and teammates were reportedly threatened before Mexico vs Ecuador

Ecuador’s World Cup dream is over. Eliminated by Mexico last Tuesday (30), Gonzalo Plata and his teammates went through tense moments before the match, according to a report by Argentine journalist Eduardo Feinmann.

The reporter said that members of a Mexican cartel threatened Ecuador’s players so they would lose the World Cup knockout-stage match. On the field, the hosts dominated and won 2-0, securing a spot in the round of 16.

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— They contacted five Ecuador players with specific information about them and their families and threatened to kill them. It’s a complicated situation. Shocking. They were threatened to lose against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium. They want Mexico to become champions no matter what — said Eduardo Feinmann, an investigative journalist and Argentine lawyer.

IN THE MEANTIME, HAS THE ECUADORIAN FEDERATION SPOKEN OUT?

So far, the Ecuadorian Football Federation has not commented on the matter, nor has it approached FIFA about it. Authorities in both Mexico and Ecuador have not confirmed the truth of the allegations raised by the Argentine journalist.

SO HOW DID THE MATCH GO, AFTER ALL?

On the field, Mexico overwhelmed Gonzalo Plata’s Ecuador. With great ease, the hosts made it 2-0 in the first half, with goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez. With the result, the team qualified for the round of 16, where it will face England on Sunday (05) at 9 p.m. (Brasília time), once again at the Azteca Stadium.

On the other hand, Ecuador has been eliminated, and Gonzalo Plata will be entitled to ten days off before reporting back to Flamengo. As a result, the forward will not take part in the mid-season training camp in Portugal, nor in Leonardo Jardim’s team’s friendlies.

This Friday (03), Flamengo face River Plate (ARG) at 3:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in the Algarve Trophy, a mid-season friendly. Coluna do Fla, directly from Portugal, will follow everything closely. On television, SporTV, Premiere, GETV and Band will broadcast the match.

SO WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION?

— The case, without a doubt, needs to be investigated. If proven, Mexico must be eliminated from the World Cup immediately. However, this story of threats is nothing new when it comes to Ecuador. In 2022, there were also reports of a possible offer received by the South American team to lose to hosts Qatar in the opening match of the last World Cup. Nothing was proven, and Ecuador won the match — opined Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.