World Cup: CAS clears Ecuador to play at Qatar 2022

Ecuador's Byron Castillo trying to evade the attentions of Chile's Jean Meneses during the World Cup qualifiers in late 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS

LAUSANNE – Ecuador have been given the green light to take their place at the World Cup after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday upheld their qualification, which had been contested by Chile and Peru over the eligibility of their defender Byron Castillo.

CAS ruled that Castillo was eligible to play but sanctioned the Ecuador football federation (FEF) for the “falsification” of his passport.

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirms the eligibility of the player Byron Castillo (Ecuador) but imposes sanctions against the Ecuadorian football federation for a violation of the Fifa regulations,” the court said in a statement.

The ruling ends several months of a battle started by Chile and Peru to displace Ecuador, who finished fourth in South American World Cup qualifying to secure the last regional automatic berth.

They have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, Netherlands and Senegal.

Peru finished fifth and lost a play-off to Australia. Chile ended up seventh, seven points behind Ecuador.

“The CAS ruling tells us that we were right, but not as we wanted, we wanted to go to the World Cup,” said Chilean football federation president Pablo Milad.

The complaint centred on Castillo, who played in eight of Ecuador’s qualifiers, including both games against Chile.

The Chilean football federation said there was evidence that Castillo, who plays for Leon in Mexico, was born in Colombia in July 1995 and not in Playas, Ecuador, in November 1998.

The claim was dismissed by Fifa in September, prompting the case to go to CAS, which crucially concluded that Castillo was eligible, regardless of his birthplace, because Ecuadorian authorities acknowledged him as an Ecuadorian national.

The panel, though, was “satisfied that the player’s date and place of birth were incorrect since the player was actually born in Tumaco, Colombia, on 25 June 1995”, leading CAS to hold the FEF “liable for an act of falsification”.

Ecuador will have to pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs (S$142,000) within 30 days, and the national team will begin “with three penalty points” in their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Meanwhile, Ecuador coach Gustavo Alfaro criticised the decision to bring forward the World Cup’s opening match between his side and hosts Qatar by a day to Nov 20, after the organisers decided in August it would be better for the hosts to kick off the tournament.

“I have one day less of preparation,” Alfaro said. “We were not consulted if there was any problem in bringing forward the match from the 21st to the 20th.”

AFP, REUTERS

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