June 9 – Unconfirmed reports suggest that Ecuador is on the verge of being kicked out of this year’s World Cup finals for fielding an ineligible player during qualifying.
Last month FIFA opened a disciplinary inquiry into the case and is about to issue its conclusions following Chile’s formal complaint alleging that Byron Castillo is Colombian and should not have been allowed to play for Ecuador in eight qualifying games.
The Chileans claim to have proof that the international fullback was born in Colombia, that he used a false passport and birth certificate and that Ecuador should therefore be removed after qualifying for Qatar as the fourth-placed team in South America.
Chile, who finished in seventh place in South American qualifying, argue that it should take Ecuador’s World Cup spot given it played two matches against them in which Castillo played. Ecuador has been drawn into Group A alongside hosts Qatar, the Netherlands, and Senegal.
On Tuesday, the lawyer on the case for the Chilean federation, Eduardo Carlezzo, stated that they have submitted all their proof to FIFA and that Ecuador will be disqualified.
One potential scenario would be to wipe all points gained by Ecuador in the eight matches in which Castillo played, awarding its opponents forfeit victories in all eight games.
That would leave Ecuador with just 11 points in South American qualification, meaning the country would drop to ninth in the 10-team table. Chile would then move up into a qualification spot.
Alternatively FIFA might decide to wipe out all of Ecuador’s 18 matches which would see Colombia move up ahead of Chile and grab an unexpected World Cup slot.
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