Former Barcelona SC Star Accused of Witchcraft by Ex-Teammates

A new controversy has hit Ecuadorian football after former Barcelona SC players publicly accused one of their ex-teammates of practicing witchcraft. During a livestream, Ely Esterilla, Washington Vera, and Roosevelt Oyola reminisced about their 2017 season with the Guayaquil-based club when Esterilla made a surprising claim about Erick Castillo. The story was reported by Gustavo Dávila on Bolavip.

"Let me be clear, it was Castillo doing those things," Esterilla said, implying the now Alianza Lima player used dark arts against his own teammates. The others laughed off the comment, but the clip quickly went viral, fueling speculation among fans. Esterilla even hinted that Castillo’s actions could have contributed to a past injury suffered by Oyola, though he said it with a smile.

So far, Castillo has not responded to the allegations. While this is the first time his name has been linked to such practices, stories of witchcraft in Ecuadorian football aren’t uncommon. The most infamous case involved Pedro Quiñónez, who was rumored to have been dropped from Ecuador’s 2014 World Cup squad due to similar accusations—rumors he has consistently denied.