Ecuadorian football has achieved significant advances that are reflected in its international performance, in parallel with important budget increases. However, despite this combination of footballing successes and the economic boom, in 2013 four elements that make up a structural crisis began to show: financial populism which makes the economy unsustainable; the lack of norms and transparency in the institutional frameworks; the rise in violence –which drives away fans–; and,finally, what can begin to be perceived as the weakening of the good results of recent years. Facing this, a democratic management seems more desirable that the transformation of clubs into limited companies.