Soccer-Politics aside, Mexico and Ecuador fans keep World Cup rivalry friendly

By Janina Nuno Rios and Natalia Siniawski

MEXICO CITY, June 30 (Reuters) – Shrugging off a raucous midnight serenade outside their team hotel as part of football’s folklore, travelling Ecuadorean fans embraced a festive World Cup atmosphere ‌in Mexico City on Tuesday ahead of their World Cup round of 32 clash with co-hosts Mexico.

The high-stakes ‌knockout tie arrives against a backdrop of strained diplomatic relations between the two countries and days of heated exchanges on social media.

Adding to the pre-match tension, ​Ecuador’s football federation complained to World Cup organisers after hundreds of Mexico supporters gathered outside the team hotel late on Monday, singing and making noise with drums, pans, and buckets.

However, fans at the ground were quick to brush off the disruption. “That’s football, it’s normal,” said Ecuadorean fan Jonathan Toledo, who travelled from New York for the match. “We’ve had a great experience here. Everyone has been very ‌friendly.”

Supporters arriving at the stadium said the ⁠hostility and political tensions had done little to sour the atmosphere on the streets, describing their interactions with Mexican fans as welcoming and respectful.

“The Mexican people have been very kind, very friendly and ⁠very courteous,” said Fernando Salinas, a fan who travelled from Ambato in central Ecuador.

“We’re not happy with what happened at the hotel, but these are things that happen in football. We’re used to noise back home. It’s part of football, part of the joy of ​the ​game. It gives people an extra incentive.”

LEAVING POLITICS OFF THE PITCH

Ecuador and ​Mexico broke off relations in April 2024 as ‌a result of Ecuador’s raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito, after which Mexico recalled its diplomats from the South American country.

Former Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas, accused of graft, had been living in the Mexican embassy since December of 2023 and received diplomatic asylum shortly before Ecuadorean police stormed the embassy and took him into custody.

The rift grew further last year when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico would not renew diplomatic relations with Ecuador as long as President Daniel Noboa remained in ‌office.

At the Azteca Stadium, however, fans said football remained separate from politics ​as Mexico sought a first World Cup knockout victory since the 1986 ​tournament on home soil, while Ecuador were bidding to ​win a World Cup knockout match for the first time after their run to the last 16 ‌in 2006.

“I think it’s mostly something on social ​media,” said Karolina Davila, an Ecuadorean ​journalist following her country’s World Cup campaign. “I’ve been walking around with my Ecuador flag all day and people have only asked to take pictures. This is my second time in Mexico and everyone has treated me very well.”

Davila ​said Ecuador’s travel delay before Monday’s official ‌activities was likely more disruptive than the serenade itself.

“What happened afterwards is something we actually enjoy as Ecuadoreans. ​It’s part of football folklore and maybe it even gives the players an extra boost,” she said.

(Reporting ​by Janina Nuño Rios and Natalia Siniawski, editing by Ed Osmond)