World Cup rule saw Ecuador blocked from retiring shirt for the late Christian Benitez

FIFA cruelly did not allow Ecuador to retire their No11 shirt as a tribute to their late striker Christian Benitez.

At the age of 27-years-old, the former Birmingham City striker tragically passed away while playing for Qatari side El Jaish. He was admitted to hospital with severe stomach pains but then suffered heart failure hours later.

His death stunned the football world and devastated his international team-mates and fans, barely one year before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. However, the football governing body interfered and prevented the South American giants from commemorating his death.

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Ecuador wanted to retire the No11 shirt he used to wear when he represented La Tri. He made 61 international appearances for Ecuador, scoring 24 goals and contributing 14 assists.

However, his country were not able to make this tribute as FIFA interjected and asserted their authority on the matter. They claimed FIFA regulations meant the No11 had to be reinstated for the 2014 World Cup.

Felipe Caicedo wore the shirt in his stead for the tournament in Brazil in what must have been a huge honour. Ecuador gave a good account of themselves in Brazil but were unable to progress into the knockout stages.

They were drawn into a very difficult group featuring France, Switzerland, and Honduras. While they beat Honduras 2-1 and valiantly managed to hold France to a 0-0 draw, their loss to Switzerland cost them in the end and saw them tumble out at the group stages.

However, they have an excellent opportunity to progress into the last 16 this winter. They demolished World Cup hosts Qatar in their opening match, before earning a notable 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in their next match.

A draw against Senegal will be enough to progress into the knockout stages of the tournament where they could even face England.

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