The 2023 national championship organized by LigaPro started late. The teams had approximately four months of preparation. It is known that such a long preseason does not favor any team, and even more so the coaching staff. In our environment, official competitions enable players to optimally concentrate on their goals; and coaches to recognize their own football potential and of course other people’s.

However, the news that received the most criticism is, without a doubt, the majority decision of the clubs to approve hiring up to eight foreigners as reinforcements for each team and that all of them can be on the field. The persistent claim of the president of the Ecuadorian football players’ union, for whom the mentioned measure harms the development of football in our country, is futile. The arguments of Miguel Ángel Loor, president of LigaPro, to defend this thesis are twofold: 1) it is a pressure on the Ecuadorian footballer to reduce his economic claims; and 2) to improve the competitive level.

From my point of view, the possibility to sign a contract with eight foreigners is not a formula for the fair value of the remuneration of Ecuadorian footballers. This will not happen until there is a serious obligation to comply fair play financially, or there are investment or salary limits, because ultimately the leaders themselves set the limits according to their own rules and benefits. What this license of eight foreigners can produce is that young Ecuadorian players are marginalized by this measure. How much? Time will tell and only then will it be re-examined how harmful it was to the development of our football.

A somewhat comforting topic is the presence of six Ecuadorian coaches directing Serie A. They are Juan Carlos León (Orense), Geovanny Cumbicus (Mushuc Runa), Pool Gavilánez (Guayaquil City), Leonardo Vanegas (Gualaceo), Paúl Vélez (Sloboda) and Patricio Hurtado (Cumbayá). It should be noted that the teams with the longest tenure still prefer foreign coaches.

Among the outstanding issues is to see the state of the country’s courts, an issue that has not helped improve the show. Also, VAR is a pending chapter. That support today is available only to those who can pay for it, and even that is not fair, until LigaPro fulfills the obligation to use it in all matches. The chapter postponed again is the review of the imposed penalties by the Disciplinary Commission. We can’t forget the barbarism towards the referees or the incursions into the playgrounds and other unpleasant events that were punished with insignificant penalties, without the appropriateness and proportionality they deserve.

Several leaders offered reforms, but did not do so because, after all, changing them would cause inconvenience to their own interests. Another key issue is arbitration, which has been highly criticized in 2022 due to repeated errors. What has been done to fix it? Nothing. The bottom line is that the Ecuadorian judge must strengthen his personality and obtain sufficient guarantees to apply the rules, without favor or fear. Otherwise, for the responsible leaders to work out new parameters and conditions for him to become a series A judge.

The 2023 tournament will enrich several athletes who have extended their stay in football, and who, despite their years, are still important in the scaffolding of their teams. For example, Cristian Pellerano (age 41) continues to be a star at Independiente del Valle; Facundo Martínez (38 years old), captain of the Catholic University, benchmark in midfield; Yuber Mosquera (38 years old), defender of Católica; Adrián Gabbarini (37 years old), from Liga de Quito; Gabriel Acchilier (37 years old), captain of Orense; the popular Roberto Tuka Ordonez (37 years old); and, of course, Damián Díaz (36 years old), triple champion of Barcelona. Many of them will say goodbye to football after this season.

What level of football does the 16 teams offer us? It is true that there are clubs, especially the richest ones, who have tried hard to at least turn out to be powerful and favorites to win the tournament, and at least six of them can offer that label.

Without a doubt, the League (Q) made a great investment. The most sensitive sector, which was his defense, he strengthened by including the Haitian Ricardo Adé and the Argentine Mauricio Martínez. In attack, he signed Lisandro Alzugaray, brought back Renato Ibarra, José Angulo and Jhojan Julio. He is one of the leading candidates.

When we all thought that they would continue with the harsh financial policy that brought them down so much in 2022, Barcelona surprisingly made more than eleven incorporations, among them Mario Pineida, Fernando Gaibor, Christian Ortiz (Argentina) and three strikers: Agustín Rodríguez (Uruguayan), Francisco Fydriszewski and Jonathan Bauman (both Argentine), among others. Breathe easy Fabián Bustos: from scarcity to abundance from moment to moment. President Carlos Alfaro Moreno dreams of winning all the championships he has to face. The financier can wait; He is in his last year of management and wants to say goodbye with all the honors.

Independiente is already a registered trademark. It is an institution that has become a protagonist over the years. It represents a reinforced team. It is a big club, and the big ones no longer think only about the competition, but about winning in everything they participate in. Católica included famous players, such as Franklin Guerra, Cristian Colman and several other reinforcements. It is a team that always threatens to be the protagonist at the beginning, although it rarely bets on the title.

The current champion Aucas shows in the preliminary matches that it is weaker compared to 2022, the most important year in its history. Although they have a coach with a great reputation, it seems that they have run out of players that they have not been able to replace. Official competition will be responsible for demonstrating or not this perception.

Emelec debuts in 2023 with a team led by José Pileggi and company, with Miguel Rondelli as DT. He included 16 players as reinforcements, and the electric fans are excited by the return of Miler Bolaños and Bryan Angulo and the inclusion of Luis Fernando León, plus a new legion of foreigners. In various preparatory matches, we did not see the real capacity of the team, which, yes, ignited the desire to become the champion, which it has not achieved since 2017.

The rest of the teams, in this order, will seek a place in the Copa Sudamericana: Deportivo Cuenca, Orense, Guayaquil City, Mushuc Runa. While El Nacional, Técnico Universitario, Libertad, Gualaceo, Delfín, Cumbayá will fight to stay in the category. In short, the tournament creates expectations among fans who want football, but good football. Time will see to that. (OR)