Former ‘La Tri’ captain Iván Hurtado has questioned the decisions made by coach Sebastián Becaccece.
The list of twenty-six players summoned by the coach of the Ecuadorian national team, Sebastián Becaccece, to face Bolivia and Colombia in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup has sparked a series of grievances and negative comments.
Among the players highlighted in the Argentine coach’s selection, we note the return of Ángel Mena and Carlos Gruezo. Notable absentee for the upcoming matches is midfielder Óscar Zambrano, who was suspended by CONMEBOL due to a controversial doping case, and who had been planned by Becaccece as a replacement for Moisés Caicedo, who was absent for the match against Bolivia due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
In a press conference before the roster was announced, Becaccece expressed his sorrow over Zambrano’s situation and hoped it would serve as a lesson for the player.
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Also part of the squad is right defender Ángelo Preciado, who, despite having injuries, will travel to Ecuador for an evaluation to determine if he is fit to participate in one of the two matches scheduled for the tenth and eleventh days.
In goals, the Argentine coach once again placed his trust in Gonzalo Valle as third goalkeeper, removing Alexander Domínguez from the selection, who had been the usual starter for La Tri before the arrival of Becaccece.
For the attack, Enner Valencia stands out alongside Inter Miami striker Leonardo Campana.
Valencia and Campana are Ecuador’s main goalscoring hopes, as the national team is currently struggling, having scored just six goals in ten games in South American qualifying.
However, the call-up list did not go down well with some former ‘La Tri’ players. Among them, former Ecuadorian captain Iván Hurtado openly expressed his dissatisfaction.
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“Why was Ángelo (Preciado) called up? His club had already announced that he was injured and would miss several matches. He doesn’t live nearby. I would have used this opportunity for my player to recover with therapies and acquires playing time,” Hurtado told ‘El Universo’.
“I see things I’ve never seen before. I have nothing against Valle, but only the best should represent the national team. Whether a replacement from team ‘x’ is already summoned, these are things I’ve never experienced,” he said.
“Coach Becaccece is implementing this with the goalkeepers; it’s not the first time he’s doing it. For me, it’s something that shouldn’t happen. What message are you sending to the starter? You do not respect it and do not give it the value it deserves,” he reiterated.
In the next match, Ecuador will host Bolivia at the Monumental Banco Pichincha Stadium in Guayaquil on November 14, while on November 19 they will visit Colombia at the Metropolitano Stadium in Barranquilla.
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The Ecuadorian national team enters this double confrontation in fifth place with 13 points after starting with -3 points due to a sanction imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding the Byron Castillo affair.
Guardians: Hernán Galíndez (Huracán-ARG), Moisés Ramírez (Independiente del Valle) and Gonzalo Valle (Liga de Quito).
Defenders: Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen-GER), Félix Torres (Corinthians-BRA), Joel Ordóñez (Brujas-BEL), Xavier Arreaga (New England Revolution-USA), Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain-FRA), Pervis Estupiñán (Brighton -GBR), Jhoanner Chávez (Lens-FRA), Cristian Ramírez (Ferencváros-HUN) et Ángelo Preciado (Sparta Prague-CZE).
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The Ecuador National Team trains in Guayaquil for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Colombia
Midfielders: Moses Caicedo (Chelsea-GBR), Carlos Gruezo (San Jose Earthquakes-USA), Alan Franco (Athletic Mineiro-BRA), Alan Minda (Witches Circle-BEL), Angel Mena (Pachuca-MEX), John Yeboah (Venice- ITA), Jeremy Sarmento (Burnley-GBR), Gonzalo Silver (Flamengo-BRA), Kendry Paez (Valley Independent) and Pedro Vite (Vancouver Whitecaps-CAN).
Attackers: Enner Valencia (Internacional-BRA), Jhon Mercado (AVS Futebol-POR), Kevin Rodríguez (Saint-Gilloise-BEL) and Leonardo Campana (Inter Miami-USA).
The Ecuadorian national team will not be able to call up midfielder Oscar Zambrano for the upcoming matches against Bolivia and Colombia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, as CONMEBOL suspended him due to a doping case controversial.
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La Liga de Quito, which loaned Zambrano with an option to buy to Hull City in the United Kingdom, announced the midfielder’s suspension with “immediate effect”.
The Disciplinary Commission of the South American Football Confederation “suspended Oscar Zambrano for violating the anti-doping regulations established in articles 6 and 7 of the CONMEBOL Anti-Doping Regulations,” Liga de Quito said in a statement.
The club added that “Zambrano and his defense (lawyer) will exercise their right to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS” and insisted that the player is currently under contract with Hull City, in the framework of a “loan contract with purchase option”.
La Liga de Quito “will continue to provide all its support to the player in this matter, trusting that it will be resolved in the best possible way,” the club added.
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Zambrano tested positive following a test taken after the one-off Recopa Sudamericana final between La Liga de Quito and Brazilian side Fluminense.
Santiago Barragán, lawyer for La Liga de Quito and who is handling the player’s defense, assured journalists that, “it was never a case of recreational drugs or anabolic substances; it is a diuretic drug to reduce swelling due to an allergy that causes swelling and difficulty breathing. This desperation leads to taking this medication,” he said.
Zambrano was called up by Ecuadorian coach, Argentinean Sebastián Becaccece, for the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Paraguay and Uruguay, in which he did not participate.
The Ecuadorian coach, Sebastián Becaccece, recognized on Friday the challenge that La Tri will have against Bolivia, recalling that they have obtained nine points in the last twelve matches of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
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During the press conference preceding the announcement of the list of call-ups for the matches against Ecuador and Colombia on the eleventh and twelfth days of qualifying, Becaccece reiterated that the Ecuadorian national team has great potential, but that it must grow to meet the expectations of supporters.
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He anticipated that “facing this Bolivia, which is on the rise despite the latest defeat, is not the same as that of four or six months ago which was in different conditions.”
(Bolivia) started preparing from the 30th, suspending the local tournament and will arrive with almost fifteen days of preparation for this match,” Becaccece said before the meeting, which will take place at sea level in Guayaquil.
The coach said his team will work to prevent Bolivia from closing spaces in their area and causing damage with counterattacks.
“Intensity is one of the traits I value; I always demand that intensity from the team because you can’t hold anything back. That level of commitment is what we instill in the team , and we try to do it in different scenarios, whether at home or away,” he expressed.
He added that “the intention is to achieve a high volume of play, with immediate recovery of the ball, so that when the opponent gets it, we can also put them under pressure.”
He highlighted the comfort of working in Guayaquil but indicated that “the most valuable thing will be to have a team capable of adapting to sea level or altitude, capable of playing and overcoming any circumstance .”
Regarding the absences, he said that right defender Ángelo Preciado has indeed been summoned and will be evaluated upon his arrival, but if there is a complication, Johanner Chávez or Alan Franco can play on the right flank.
Becaccece lamented the suspension-driven absence of midfielder Oscar Zambrano, who tested positive in a doping test at the end of this year’s Recopa Sudamericana final match between La Liga de Quito and Fluminense from Brazil.
He admitted that he had planned to call up Zambrano to replace Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo, who will miss the match against Bolivia due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
“It pains me a lot because knowing him and his family, I understand very well his spontaneity and his humility. He is a player for whom I have a lot of affection because I really appreciate his game. This will be without any “doubt a lesson,” he said.
The list of players called up has not yet been released, but players like Xavier Arreaga and Carlos Gruezo are already in Ecuador and are expected to participate in the qualifying doubleheaders, where Ecuador is currently in fifth position in the standings with 13 points.
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