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Ecuador to keep World Cup spot following FIFA investigation

Published 12:10 11 Jun 2022 BST

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FIFA rejected a complaint from Chile.

Ecuador will keep their place in the Qatar World Cup after FIFA rejected a complaint from the Chilean Football Federation over an ineligible player. Chile complained about defender Byron Castillo, who they claimed had falsified documents to allow him to play for Ecuador, despite being born in Colombia.

Ecuador faced a points deduction if Castillo was found guilty.

According to TV Azteca on Thursday, Eduardo Carlezzo, the lawyer representing Chile in the ongoing court case, has said that he has found sufficient evidence to prove that Castillo is not eligible to play for Ecuador. Fingerprints are rumoured to be absent from Castillo's document that states he was born in Ecuador, with Chile accusing their South American neighbours of "rigging" the process. If FIFA agreed with the lawyer's findings, there was every possibility that Ecuador could be deducted a point from every qualifying game that Castillo featured in. Castillo had played in all eight qualifying games and that punishment would have found Ecuador fall out the qualifying spots - with Chile replacing them at their expense.

FIFA confirm Ecuador will play at World Cup.

But FIFA released a statement on Friday that they had ruled in favour of Ecuador and Castillo and that they would keep their place at Qatar. They said: "The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has rendered its decision in relation to the potential ineligibility of the player Byron David Castillo Segura with regard to his participation in eight qualifying matches of the national team of the Ecuadorian Football Association (FEF) in the preliminary competition of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

"After analysing the submissions of all parties concerned and considering all elements brought before it, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to close the proceedings initiated against the FEF.

"The Disciplinary Committee’s findings were notified today to the parties concerned. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the parties have ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The present decision remains subject to an appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee."

Chile can challenge the ruling at FIFA’s appeals committee and potentially later at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Ecuador are in Group A at the World Cup alongside the Netherlands, Senegal and the hosts, Qatar.

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