Chelsea starlet Kendry Paez has become embroiled in national team controversy, with footage appearing to show the 16-year-old attending a strip club with team-mates ahead of Ecuador's 2-0 defeat to Italy on Sunday.
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The match took place in New Jersey, USA, where the minimum legal drinking age is 21. The Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) have pledged to look into the video, with Paez facing possible repercussions alongside Sao Paulo's Robert Arboleda and Gonzalo Plata of Al Sadd.
Footage appears to show the Ecuadorian trio flaunting wads of cash in the company of a provocative dancer. Nightclubs in New York State prevent minors, i.e. those under the age of 21, from entering.
The FEF's statement reads: "Given the facts of public knowledge, the FEF expresses the following: The official delegation had free time on Friday, March 22, from 2:00pm to 8:30pm, a schedule that was fully complied with.
"Images of events contrary to the values and principles that we defend and promote as an institution have been disseminated, which will be the subject of analysis for future calls. We reiterate our commitment to Ecuadorian soccer."
Express Sport have approached Chelsea for comment, but it is understood that they will leave the matter in the hands of the Ecuadorian football authorities.
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The Blues agreed a £17million deal to sign Paez - revered as one of the finest youngsters in the world - last summer. But the teenager is unable to join up with his new team-mates at Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis until he turns 18 in 2025.
The prodigious midfielder is already a regular at senior level with the Ecuadorian national side and Independiente del Valle - the same team to bring through Moises Caicedo. Paez came on as a second-half substitute during Ecuador's defeat to Italy.
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Article 16 of the FEF's Code of Ethics stipulates that offences carried out while on international duty carry a maximum punishment of a two-year ban from football-related activities.
Arboleda caused controversy back in 2019, when he and several team-mates were spotted at a hotel party after crashing out of the Copa America. Following Tuesday's video leak, he wrote on Instagram: "From now on, on my days off, I will just start reading the Bible."
