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According to the official announcement of FIFA, the world football authority rejected the request of Chile to take the spot of Ecuador at the 2022 World Cup following their deemed ineligibility to participate in the event.
Chile filed for an appeal
FIFA disregarded the claim of Chile that Ecuador athlete Byron Castillo was born a Colombian and must be banned to play at the quadrennial competition, in which Castillo appeared for the Ecuadorian national team.
According to FIFA, their appeal juror reckon that based on the paperwork that was provided, the participating athlete must be considered to have a permanent nationality in Ecuador in order to be eligible to represent the Ecuador team in the international tournaments and must follow the football legal rules.
The ruling statement concluded that FIFA verified a disciplinary judgment from June, and it is possible that they will pass the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In the meantime, Ecuador was allowed to participate in the worldcup22 in Qatar.
They are scheduled to play against the host country in the opener of the FIFA on November 20. They will play along with Senegal and the Netherlands in the Group A of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the legal stance of Chile remains strong, and Ecuador’s disqualification could still be possible.
Waiting for the CAS final ruling
According to the football association of Chile, they aim to file an appeal against the ruling of FIFA to the highest court of football, the CAS in Switzerland. If possible, CAS could conduct immediate legal proceedings regarding the matter before the World Cup begins.
The General Secretary of the Chilean Football Federation, Jorge Yunge, stated that the ruling of FIFA could be seen as a dismal day for the football community and the reliability of the system of FIFA.
According to Yunge, the football community around the world learned that the athlete who they deemed as the one who has a major role in the qualification of Ecuador to the FIFA World Cup confessed that he was born in Colombia and that he was only granted an Ecuadorian passport because he provided false details.
He stated that he was not surprised that the player refused to attend the FIFA council, however, he said that whatever the appeal committee decided, it will reflect the value that they uphold.
A shame in the football legal system
Chile revealed that they a clear proof that Castillo is Colombian and must not play for Ecuador in the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, it was such a shame that Chile have compiled its appeal after the World Cup draw was already finished on April 1, and FIFA and organizers in Qatar have already marketed thousands of tickets and lodging to the fans of the Ecuador team.
According to the legal counsel of the Chilean Football Federation, Eduardo Carlezzo, he has never seen an inequity just like this in his entire existence as a lawyer.
There is a great amount of documents that are existing to prove that Castillo is indeed a Colombian. Additionally, the football community heard his revelation that was given during the probe that was conducted by the Chilean Football Federation. The player also disrespected the football legal laws when he failed to show up at the hearing.
Final words
Should Ecuador relinquish all of the eight matches that they played for the World Cup qualifiers, Chile could have a chance for automatic qualification for the South American spot in the tournament. Once the controversy was resolved, FIFA reassured us that they will implement stricter rules when it comes to the qualification matches for the FIFA World Cup.
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