Overview
- Ecuadorian supporters placed a yellow La Tri shirt on the Rocky statue before their match in Philadelphia and Ecuador then lost 1-0 to Ivory Coast on a 90th‑minute goal, a sequence widely reported as renewing the city’s “Rocky curse.”
- The Pennsylvania Tourism Office posted an Instagram warning that referenced past examples of visiting teams dressing Rocky and advised visiting delegations not to put kits on the statue.
- Brazilian fan groups publicly urged supporters to avoid clothing Rocky and fans largely left the statue undressed during Brazil’s World Cup rally, with stewards roping off the area and volunteers acting as on‑site “Rocky protectors.”
- Gigio Benavides, an Ecuadorian fan who hand‑made and placed a jersey on Rocky, said he received hate messages after the loss and later described emotional distress while other fans offered him support at the match.
- The episode has pushed local lore into official crowd‑management and tourism messaging, and could change how visiting fan groups plan public rallies and how the city manages high‑traffic landmarks during major events.