Soccer-Deportivo Quito relegated amid Ecuador players' strike

QUITO, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The strike called by Ecuadorean soccer players over unpaid salaries turned out to be a damp squib although it played a part in the relegation of Deportivo Quito, one of the country's leading teams. Deportivo, who won the fifth of their league titles in 2011, turned out with a mix of professionals and juniors at Liga de Loja and lost 1-0 on Sunday. With three matches to go, they can no longer be saved from relegation after 36 years in the first division. The Ecuadorean Footballers' Association (AFE) called a strike on Thursday over a $20 million backlog in players' salaries at 18 of the 24 teams in Series A and B. The national governing body FEF responded that the full weekend programme would go ahead as scheduled and most teams adhered to its decision. However, only five of Deportivo Quito's first team squad travelled at the last minute to the match against Liga de Loja while the rest stayed away in protest over the club's failure to pay their salaries. "We feel a great pain, but we went down like men," said forward Juan Rojas, one of those who played. "We know there will be criticism but we're here putting our chests to the bullets. It hurts us for the fans who have always supported us," he was quoted as saying on the website of Guayaquil's Expreso (www.expreso.ec). Universidad Catolica and Mushuc Runa fielded full sides in their match on Friday but as soon as they had kicked off, the players of both sides turned their backs to the ball and stood facing their respective goals for a minute in support of the AFE's complaints before playing out a 1-1 draw. (Writing by Rex Gowar; editing by Justin Palmer)