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There is a possibility that Ecuador will be knocked out of the World Cup because one of their players admitted to using a fake birth certificate in a confession that was hushed up by the Ecuador Football Federation (FEF). It might affect both England’s round-of-16 opponent and Qatar’s opening match opponent at the World Cup.
Inconsistencies put Ecuador in jeopardy
While most football punters and fans have already prepared themselves for the World Cup betting odds 2022, fixtures, and even their preferred streaming platform, no one was ready to hear the news that the roster for the Qatar World Cup is currently in shambles.
In light of the recent discovery of new evidence of a startling player’s confession to using a bogus birth certificate in an ongoing investigation that the FEF hushed up, Ecuador is in danger of being removed from the World Cup.
On Thursday, the FIFA Appeals Commission is expected to issue a ruling in the case of Byron Castillo, and new evidence obtained by the Daily Mail implies that Ecuador may be eliminated from the competition. The crux of the dispute is whether Castillo was born in Ecuador or Colombia; he played in 8 qualifying games for the Qatar tournament.
A tape made of Castillo four years ago reveals that not only is the right back a Colombian citizen but that the FEF has known this for a long time and has kept it quiet. Castillo admitted in a formal interview with the head of the FEF’s Investigative Commission in 2018 that he was actually born in 1995, not 1998 as was previously reported.
In addition to admitting to changing his name on the fake passport, he details his journey from Tumaco, Colombia, to San Lorenzo, Ecuador, and identifies the Ecuadorian businessman who gave him a new identity. The worst-case scenario is that the World Cup 2022 fixtures Singapore time is now going to be subject to some heavy changes.
The audio interview in detail
Castillo gave an audio interview to police in 2014, during which he indicated and affirmed that he was born in 1995 (despite his Ecuadorian birth certificate stating otherwise).
He further clarified that he was born in Columbia and that his full name is Bayron Javier Castillo Segura, not Byron David Castillo Segura as it says on his Ecuadorian birth certificate.
The Ecuadorian athlete gave a lengthy account of his journey from San Lorenzo, Ecuador to Tumaco, Colombia for professional football. Finally, Castillo recognized the Ecuadorian businessman who provided him with a new identity in the very same audio clip.
The letter goes on to say that Castillo is a Colombian citizen who graduated from Tumaco High School in 1995 and that they have recorded audio proof of the player’s confession. Despite this, the FEF in 2019 recognized Castillo as a citizen of Ecuador.
What now for the World Cup?
Despite this, in 2019, the FEF issued a ruling establishing Castillo’s citizenship in Ecuador. The Chilean FA stated in April that Castillo was ineligible because he is an illegal immigrant; FIFA has been looking into the case ever since.
If Ecuador were to be eliminated from the WorldCup22 roster, Chile might benefit. For the two qualifying games against Chile in which Castillo participated, 3-0 victories would be awarded if Chile’s protest were to be upheld, moving Chile from seventh to fourth place.
However, Peru is another team that could benefit if Ecuador were to forfeit all of their matches. Peru placed sixth in the South American qualification. Both FIFA and the FEF have so far declined to respond.
Final thoughts
It would be a major embarrassment for FIFA to have to kick Ecuador out of the tournament at this critical phase after they already dismissed Chile’s complaint in June after determining that Castillo was actually born in Ecuador.
The hearing back in June did not cover the fact that bookies that offer Qatar World Cup 2022 livestream for the Group matches will kick off the World Cup with Ecuador on November 21.