Ecuador's Valencia thwarts police over unpaid alimony - reports

QUITO ( Reuters) - Enner Valencia escaped the clutches of Ecuadorean police seeking to question the Everton forward over unpaid alimony to his ex-wife after playing in the national side's 3-0 win over Chile on Thursday, according to reports in the South American country.

Police gathered at the door of the team coach before the World Cup qualifier but were unable to detain Valencia, who is believed to owe his former wife $17,000, due to the intervention of team mates, according to the El Universo newspaper.

The authorities then waited by the pitch to apprehend him after the game but the player received on-field treatment for altitude sickness with 10 minutes remaining, before he was rushed to an ambulance that took him to a local hospital, a video on the El Telegrafo newspaper site showed.

The whereabouts of the West Ham centre forward, who moved to Merseyside on loan at the start of the season, are now unknown.

(Writing by Andrew Downie; Editing by John O'Brien)