VIDEO: Ecuador World Cup Hero Ivan Kaviedes Gets in Street Fight and Knocks Out Random Dude
The fall from grace has been nothing short of a swan dive for Ecuadorian soccer legend Ivan Kaviedes. Best known in his home country for sending Ecuador to the 2002 World Cup, the country's first WC, the 42-year-old player has faced countless issues off the pitch ever since. On Sunday, following a match in Cuenca, Kaviedes got into a street fight and knocked a guy out in the middle of the melee. The person's head bounced off the concrete in devastating fashion.
Jaime Iván Kaviedes en los últimos años a venido dando tropezón tras tropezón, el goleador que nos dio la clasificación al mundial no supo manejar su fama ni tampoco su genio, ahora se ve involucrado en tremendo pleito con consecuencias que pueden perjudicarlo. pic.twitter.com/5rQ1zFJKM3
— Jorge Luis Lasso Charpentier® ?? (@jorgelassoch) March 9, 2020
Obviously, this is a terrible look for Kaviedes, whose goal against Uruguay on Nov. 7 in 2001 remains one of the highlights of Ecuador's athletic history. Tears still roll down folks' eyes when thinking about his stunning header to power the red, blue and yellow to its first World Cup.
In recent years, however, Kaviedes has been in an out of trouble with the law. This includes a 2019 arrest for a verbal and physical altercation with a woman.
On a local radio show in Ecuador, Kaviedes claims he was attacked first by drunken fans who made their way to the stadium and were heckling him at the end of the game. He claims he was punched from behind and was defending himself.
[AUDIO]
— Voces Amarillas (@vozamarillaec) March 10, 2020
Jaime Ivan Kaviedes cuenta su versión de lo sucedido ?⚽️ pic.twitter.com/x9nfCmXhck
The man Kaviedes hit in the video was hospitalized, but has since been released. As of this writing, no official charges have been filed against Kaviedes, but that most certainly could end up changing in the coming days.