Mexico hand back £747,000 in Rolex watches gifted by YouTuber before England clash

Mexico’s World Cup squad have been forced to return a haul of luxury watches gifted to them by an American content creator, after Fifa’s strict rules on accepting expensive presents came into force. The watches, reportedly worth around $1million (£747,000) in total, had been handed out by YouTuber Stevewilldoit, whose real name is Stephen Deleonardis, just days before the World Cup co-hosts face England.

Deleonardis says he spent the seven-figure sum on Rolex watches for every member of Mexico’s playing squad and coaching staff. According to the BBC, he presented the gifts to the players when he met them on Monday, the day before Mexico beat Ecuador in the last thirty-two of the tournament.

However, Fifa’s Code of Ethics places tight restrictions on gifts to players and officials during major tournaments. Article twenty-one of the code states that such gifts can only be offered or accepted if they “have symbolic or trivial value”, ruling out anything approaching the scale of Deleonardis’s offering.

Squad returned watches ‘by mutual agreement’

A post on the Mexico team’s official X account explained that the players decided to return the watches “by mutual agreement” once the situation was clarified. The statement added that Stevewilldoit had gifted the watches “on his own initiative”, suggesting there was no prior arrangement with the federation or Fifa.

The episode has provided an unusual distraction for El Tri in the build-up to Sunday’s blockbuster tie against England at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for the evening local time, which translates to 01:00 BST on Monday for viewers back in Britain.

Mexico eyeing first quarter-final since 1986

Mexico progressed to the last sixteen after beating Ecuador, a result that has stirred hopes at home of matching or bettering their run to the quarter-finals when they last hosted the World Cup back in 1986. As co-hosts of this year’s tournament alongside the United States and Canada, there is significant expectation on the squad to deliver a deep run on home soil.

Sunday’s meeting with England at the famous Azteca Stadium, a venue steeped in World Cup history, will offer both sides a route into the quarter-finals. The BBC has reported extensively on the build-up to the fixture, including the security measures in place around the match and the atmosphere Gareth’s successor Thomas Tuchel’s side can expect to encounter in Mexico City.

Fifa has not commented publicly on the specifics of the watch gifts beyond the wording of its ethics code, and there has been no suggestion of any formal disciplinary action against Mexico’s players or against Deleonardis himself.

Read more: De la Fuente: ‘We have the best midfield in the world’ ahead of Portugal clash