The Association of Soccer Players of Ecuador, known as AFE, announced Thursday that it would begin a strike in support of its members, who have not received remuneration for over four months.
According to AFE Vice-President Edwin Tenorio, the measure is aimed at “paralyzing all activities related to this game in the country.”
A combined total of US$20 million in wages is owed to players and staff from eighteen different clubs plying their trade in Serie A and Serie B, the country’s top two leagues.
“Today I am supporting the strike until the highest body of Ecuadorean soccer [the Ecuadorean Federation - FEF] makes a statement on this issue,” said AFE President Ivan Hurtado, referring to the absence of FEF President Luis Chiriboga who is attending a conference in Brazil with Conmebol executives (the South American Soccer Federation).
“Abuses and lies” will not be tolerated, the former defender added, justifying the strike on the grounds that “no dialogue” is currently “possible.”
The news comes as the Ecuadorean national team continues to surprise pundits and fans alike as it sits above its more illustrious rivals Argentina and Brazil at the top of the region’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
The national team has wracked up four wins in four, picking up a perfect 12 points, three more than second place Uruguay and five more than Brazil who sit in third place.