Qatar 2022 World Cup: Ecuador renounces Castillo

Ecuador did not want to risk Byron Castillo becoming the man of contention again. Thus the defender, denounced in May by the Chilean federation for alleged Colombian nationality, will not participate in the World Cup in Qatar.

The announcement came from the official channels of the Ecuadorian Football Federation with a note. “Faced with an arbitrary ruling by the CAS, which ignores the most elementary universally recognized legal principles, and faced with the danger of once again suffering unjust sanctions, the Ecuadorian football federation is obliged not to include the player Byron Castillo Segura in the list final that was presented to Fifa” reads.

the case

—

Chile had denounced Ecuador disputing the origins of Castillo. Already in the past, in fact, the validity of the player’s documents certifying his age and origin had been discussed in the local courts, but Ecuadorian nationality was finally ratified in 2021. The Chilean’s gesture was made with the hope that Fifa , recognizing Castillo as Colombian, could exclude Ecuador for fielding a player from another country. The body rejected the complaint, also presented by Peru, but the appeal to the CAS has opened some glimmers. The sentence of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which arrived a week ago, deemed Castillo fit to take the field but at the same time sanctioned Ecuador, for the use of a document containing false information, with three penalty points to be served at the qualifications for the 2026 World Cup and a fine of around 102,000 euros, in addition to legal costs.

the protest

—

Thus Castillo will not fly to Qatar. However, his presence was in question, at least for the debut against the host national team, due to an ankle injury suffered in the friendly against Iraq played on Saturday. In any case, Ecuador protests. “We acted in line with the rulings of the judges of our country, obeying the decisions of the authorities. Incomprehensibly, the CAS ruling – which recognizes the suitability of the player – unlawfully sows a doubt that could jeopardize not only the team’s progress in the competition but also participation in the next edition by virtue of the sanctions that, without any legal basis, have been imposed on the Fef. Although today our attention is focused on the World Cup in Qatar, our commitment is to exhaust all the resources that the law allows us to demonstrate the correctness of our behavior and remedy this unjust and painful situation, wherever we have to do it” concludes the statement.