“Million dollar fine for Ecuador!” read the headline of the newspaper AS, from Madrid to the news of the FIFA ruling in favor of Gustavo Alfaro, coach of the national team until relegation at the 2026 World Cup, who was sued by the Ecuadorian Football Association. On March 20, the Argentinian filed a complaint through his lawyers, in which he demanded the payment of a value that reached 4 million dollars.

FIFA decides in favor of Gustavo Alfaro and Ecuafútbol has to pay him 2 million dollars

“Now, more than six months later, FEF will have to pay their former coach unpaid wages, bonuses and all taxes owed. Alfaro requested “the payment of arrears of salaries and awards from the World Cup”. FEF was ultimately ordered to pay an amount that would amount to $2 million net, plus interest until the date of payment,” the newspaper added.

‘FEF owes Gustavo Alfaro, but not millions of dollars, and will collect when FIFA pays out the 2022 World Cup qualification awards.’

When it became known that there was a request, the president of the Federation, Francisco Egas, said: “What we owe Professor Alfaro, we are aware of that to comply and pay.” Egas regretted that values ​​are needed for concepts that don’t match, “like the $1 million claim for the (2022) World Cup stage they want to call the round of 16, which corresponds to the group stage, so the prize is already included.” .

A statue is needed for Gustavo Alfaro. And for the coach who qualified Ecuador for its first World Cup, what does it take?

keeping money

AS On this topic, he adds: “In the amended letter, FIFA gives the FEF a deadline of 45 days to settle its debt. If it fails to do so, the international organization “could withhold 20% of the next FIFA Forward Fee (aid given to improve football in different federations)” which must be paid to the FEF until it pays. The body has yet to communicate the basis of its decision, at which point both parties could appeal to the TAS. In the case of Alfaro to try to pay 4 million dollars and Ecuafútbol to get the FIFA ruling against him annulled.

The fact is that since the farewell of the Colombian Reinaldo Rueda, in 2014, until the end of the Alfaro process, cases of debt in the FEF abound, payment contracts that take time to be honored, announcements of salary reductions that are not real, lawsuits, salaries for a coach who didn’t even lead in training and “mistakes” that cost millions of dollars. History includes the administrations of Luis Chiriboga, Carlos Villacis and Francisco Egas.

Deal with Rueda

On 16 January 2015, a semester after Ecuador’s group stage bye at the 2014 World Cup, it was revealed that the FEF owed Rueda. Carlos Velasco, former physical trainer of Tricolor, told this on the radio Mesh, from Quito: “Unfortunately, yes, the Federation owes us, with the coaching staff of Professor Rueda.” According to Velasco, the payment obligation was agreed with the FEF on July 25, 2014, after the World Cup, but these agreements were not fulfilled.

“They agreed to make the payments on the relevant dates. But we don’t know what happened because they didn’t execute them,” Velasco recounted in 2015. On January 18 of that year, FEF president Luis Chiriboga accepted that there were outstanding sums for the cancellation of Rueda and his staff. According to the economic report of the Federation, it is 475,359 dollars. Ecuafútbol has planned meetings with its creditors to finalize payment agreements.

TAS, in favor of Quinteros

In November 2019, FIFA declared “inadmissible” a lawsuit filed by Gustavo Quinteros against the FEF for $1.5 million. In September 2017, Carlos Villacís, president of the Federation (succeeding Chiriboga, who resigned after being accused of corruption by regular courts), dismissed Quinteros two dates before the end of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Jorge Célico took over as interim.

Quinteros accused Villacís of unilaterally and unjustifiably terminating the contract and appealed FIFA’s ruling to CAS. In June 2022, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered Ecuafútbol to pay the Argentine $391,750 in damages. Egas inherited that mess.

$1,362,324 for Roll

Villacís was responsible for the second coming Roll Hernan Dario Gomez as DT tricolor. The Colombian took over on 1 August 2018, when Villacís had just five months left as FEF boss. Gomez was sacked by Egas (in the second successive edition) in July 2019 after a dismal failure at the 2019 Copa América.

Thanks to the “mistake” of Villacís – that’s what he himself called his signature – national football gave Roll $1,362,324 (as an indemnity agreement, after mutual termination of the employment relationship between FEF and the coach).

Egas’ first coach, as FEF president, was Jordi Cruyff, whom he introduced on January 13, 2020. For a change, like his predecessors in office, the Dutchman experienced a stormy split.

Cruyff never directed

On July 23, 192 days after the presentation, Ecuafútbol confirmed the end of the unproductive Cruyff era. “We inform the public that the selector has communicated his resignation to the FEF president,” it was announced on social networks. Cruyff did not even direct during training. On March 13, 2020, he went to Spain to be with his family during the coronavirus pandemic. From Barcelona, ​​Cruyff gave two dates for his return to the country, but instead of returning, he traveled to Tel Aviv, despite the pandemic, to visit friends.

To counter the widespread rejection of Cruyff’s absence, Egas claimed in April 2020 that there would be a pay cut “for the coaching staff and other workers”. But on April 24, a letter signed by six members of the FEF board refuted Egas. It was explained that what Cruyff and his associates had agreed was a restructuring of the salary payment flow, but not “their alignment”.

In an interview with EL UNIVERSO, Cruyff said in August 2020 that it hurts him to be called a “thief” because he did not receive six months’ salary as a coach from Ecuador, but “less than two” (almost a month). and a half, according to a FEF source, who requested the confidentiality of his identity). (D)