November 9, 2022, 15:41 PM
November 9, 2022, 15:41 PM
The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, said this Wednesday that will not attend the opening match of the World Cupin which the national team will face the host Qatar, due to the wave of violence that plagues Ecuadorians.
“I have thanked the Emir of Qatar for the invitation to witness the opening match between our teams; however, I have decided not to attend. Addressing the security situation in the country is my priority,” Lasso wrote on his Twitter account.
The opening match of the World Cup between Ecuador and Qatar will be played on November 20. The duel corresponds to Group A, which is completed by the teams of Senegal and the Netherlands.
On behalf of Ecuador Vice President Alfredo Borrero will attend, The General Secretariat of Communication (Segcom) said in a statement.
The South American nation is in trouble linked to the activity of drug trafficking groups, which last week launched an offensive with shootings and car bombs at gas stations and police stations in retaliation for the prison relocation of more than 2,400 inmates.
The attacks, which left eight deadforced the Executive to decree a state of emergency in three provinces of the country, the hardest hit by drug traffickers.
On October 31, as part of a tour, Lasso received a delegation with the World Cup trophy at the national government headquarters. The event was attended by the DT of the “Tricolor”, the Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, and some selected ones to whom he wished “many successes”.
This will be the fourth World Cup participation of Ecuador, whose selection is made up mostly of young players who qualified for Qatar 2022 by finishing fourth in the South American qualifier.
Next Saturday the “Tricolor” will measure forces with Iraq in his last rehearsal before facing the World Cup.
