Mexico have been forced to return luxury watches gifted to them by content creator Stevewilldoit, the American YouTuber whose real name is Stephen Deleonardis, after Fifa ruled the $1m (£747,000) haul of Rolexes violated its code of ethics. Deleonardis presented the watches to every Mexico player and member of staff when he met them on Monday, the day before the World Cup co-hosts beat Ecuador in the last 32. But Fifa’s Code of Ethics, article 21, restricts gifts to those of “symbolic or trivial value”. The Mexico players decided to return the watches “by mutual agreement”, the team’s X account said, adding Deleonardis had acted “on his own initiative”.
The controversy comes as England prepare to face Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday evening local time (01:00 BST Monday) in a last-16 tie that could be disrupted by severe storms. Lightning, thunder and heavy rain are forecast, putting the match at serious risk of delay or even abandonment. Fifa have a plan in place should the showdown face further disruption, though details of that protocol are not yet public.
“Mexico returned $1m Rolexes from YouTuber Stevewilldoit; storms threaten England last-16 match.”
Mexico will be hoping to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since hosting the World Cup in 1986, while England aim to defy the underdog tag at the iconic high-altitude fortress. The Three Lions face arguably their most impressive World Cup win of the century if they can conquer the Azteca – but first they must hope the weather allows the game to go ahead.