Mexico National Team Returns Luxury Watches Gifted by Influencer

The Mexican national football team has returned a collection of Rolex watches gifted to the players by American influencer, Steezy Willdoit.

Steven Deleonardis, known online as Steezy Willdoit with over 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, presented a watch to each member of the Mexican squad at their training camp. This occurred just before their Round of 16 match against Ecuador. In a video posted on his channel, he stated that the total value of the collection was $1 million, with individual watches ranging from $30,000 to $90,000.

In an official statement released on the team's social media, the Mexican Football Federation announced that by "mutual agreement," the team decided to return the watches to Deleonardis, which were given by the influencer "on his own initiative."

When asked by midfielder Obed Vargas why he made the gesture, Deleonardis explained that he lives in Mexico and had placed a $2 million bet on the team to win against Ecuador. Earlier in the video, he mentioned that this wager would yield him a $1 million profit – the supposed total value of the watches. Mexico ultimately won the match 2-0.

Restrictions regarding the offering and acceptance of gifts are outlined in Article 21 of FIFA's Code of Ethics. The global football governing body stipulates that gifts are prohibited unless they are of "symbolic or trivial value."

FIFA also clarifies that gifts are not permitted if they are offered or accepted "as a way of influencing" individuals bound by the code to perform an action, violate rules, or create a conflict of interest.

The organization states that violations of this rule can be punished with a fine of at least 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,500) and a "ban from participating in any football-related activity for a maximum period of two years."

Mexico, one of the World Cup hosts, has won all four of its matches so far without conceding a goal. Next night, the team will host England in a quarter-final clash at the iconic Estadio Azteca.