FIFA confirmed this Friday the presence of Ecuador in the 2022 World Cup final after the Appeals Committee rejected Chile’s complaint, which alleged the irregular use of a player during qualifying.
“After analyzing the documentation received from the parties and holding the corresponding hearing, the Appeals Commission ratified the decision of the Disciplinary Commission and closed the investigation of the case initiated against the Ecuadorian federation,” read a FIFA statement.
On Thursday, the Chilean federation officially filed an appeal against the decision to keep Ecuador in the 2022 World Cup, claiming to have new evidence of the irregular use of Byron Castillo during the qualifying phase, alleging that the player has Colombian nationality.
“Based on the documentation received, among other considerations, it was estimated that the player should be considered a permanent holder of Ecuadorian nationality, in accordance with article 5, paragraph 1 of the Regulations for the Application of the FIFA Statutes,” he explained. the organization. that governs world football.
The first complaint had already been rejected in June of this year, but Chile, which would take Ecuador’s seat if that country were challenged, only now filed an appeal, due to the appearance of alleged new evidence.
With this decision, the Chilean federation may also appeal to the Sports Arbitration Court.
The case gained force again earlier this week, when the British newspaper Daily Mail published an audio, presumably by Byron Castillo, in which the current right-back of the León (Mexican team led by the Portuguese Renato Paiva) assumes that he was born in Colombia and also be three years older than what is registered (born in 1995, not 1998).
Ecuador is part of Group A with Qatar (organizing country), the Netherlands and Senegal and is scheduled to face the host team on November 20, in the opening match of the World Cup.
Source: TSF
