Mexico return luxury watches gifted by YouTuber
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- Mexico's national football team returned luxury Rolex watches gifted by American YouTuber Stevewilldoit (Stephen Deleonardis), citing FIFA's gift restrictions.
- Stevewilldoit claims he spent $1m (£747,000) buying Rolexes for every Mexico player and member of staff.
- FIFA's Code of Ethics, Article 21, limits gifts to those of "symbolic or trivial value" — the rule that triggered the return.
- Deleonardis presented the watches to the squad on Monday, the day before Mexico beat Ecuador in the World Cup last 32.
- Mexico's official X account said the players decided to return the watches "by mutual agreement" and that Stevewilldoit gifted them "on his own initiative."
- Mexico face England at Azteca Stadium in Sunday's last-16 tie, chasing a quarter-final appearance — their first since hosting the World Cup in 1986.
Why it matters: FIFA's ethics code forced Mexico to return an unsolicited $1m watch haul before their biggest World Cup match since hosting in 1986, removing a compliance headache and an unwanted off-pitch storyline heading into the last-16 showdown with England at Azteca.
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