West Ham United midfielder Edson Álvarez has gone from ‘footballer to movie villain’ thanks to the latest claims about him.

On Thursday Sport Witness covered reports from Mexico explaining how Álvarez had been accused of faking COVID-19 certificates.

That report detailed the last claims from a former associate Juan José López Ordóñez. He has alleged that Álvarez was part of a network that forged COVID-19 vaccination certificates during the pandemic.

It’s the latest claim from the former producer, who has also accused the West Ham man of kidnapping in recent months. Álvarez and his associates have already refuted those claims.

Footballer to villain

El Siglo de Torreon now cover the latest claims. They state that over the last year the West Ham midfielder has gone from being a key figure in the Mexican national team to facing allegations of kidnapping, substantial unpaid debts and now the latest accusation involving fraudulent health documents.

According to statements from Ordóñez, the West Ham man was part of an illegal scheme operated through a digital platform called Resistencia.

Through this site —reportedly run in collusion with his former father-in-law, Jonathan Toache Bedolla, and a doctor named Diana Magaña — documents containing official health-sector QR codes were allegedly issued despite recipients not receiving the corresponding vaccine doses.

Ordóñez claims he became aware of the network due to his close professional relationship with Álvarez and his associates.

According to his account, the system accessed and altered databases—changing batch numbers, vaccine brands, and vaccination site locations— to generate fraudulent certificates that met the strict travel and mobility requirements in place at the time.

27,000 certificates

West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez in action for Mexico
West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez in action for Mexico

He estimated that more than 27,000 such certificates – costing around 500 dollars – were issued. The scheme allegedly involves numerous celebrities.

So far, no concrete evidence, financial records or judicial rulings have been presented to confirm the claims. But it is the latest claim that Ordóñez has made against the West Ham man.

He has also accused the Mexican midfielder of owing him €3.5m pesos in connection with a documentary filmed before the 2022 World Cup. He also alleged that people close to Álvarez had kidnapped and threatened him.

For his part, the midfielder’s camp has previously and categorically rejected these allegations. Álvarez has also defended his public reputation. He has insisted that such claims will be dealt with through the appropriate legal channels.

Now his legal team are evaluating further legal action after the latest claims. In the meantime, he goes from public hero to movie villain.

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Sean Lunt
Experienced football journalist who has worked in the industry since 2015, specialising in transfer stories from across the world’s media. His career spans digital newsrooms, live match coverage, long‑form features and statistical analysis, with a particular focus on Premier League and European football. Sean has become an expert in how the football transfer business works and his reporting often brings clarity to fans. A long‑suffering Everton fan, he approaches every window with optimism and caution in equal measure.