Chile appeals FIFA decision that ended its dream of playing in the World Cup

The Chilean Football Association has appealed a decision by FIFA to dismiss its complaint against Ecuador over allegations that it pushed a player ineligible to participate in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The FIFA decision issued on June 10 allowed Ecuador to compete in the finals in Qatar next November, but the Chilean Football Association is continuing all available legal measures to change the matter.

In May, the Chilean federation asked FIFA to rule on the eligibility of an Ecuadorean player, claiming he used a fake passport and birth certificate to cast doubts about Ecuador's participation in this year's World Cup.

Chile said it had evidence that Barcelona's Guayaquil back-back Byron Castillo was born in Tomaco, Colombia, in 1995, and not in the Ecuadorean city of General Bimil Playas in 1998, as stated in his official papers.

Documents in the application to FIFA, seen by Reuters, show his "falsified" birth certificates as well as an internal Ecuadorean investigation admitting inconsistencies in its documents.

"It is clear that all this is well known by the Ecuadorean federation," the Chilean federation said in a statement.

"The world of football cannot ignore all this evidence. These dangerous and irregular practices in the registration of players cannot be accepted, especially when we are talking about a global competition."

He indicated that he had sent evidence to FIFA and requested an investigation.

FIFA acknowledged that it had "received an official complaint from the Chilean federation" but then refused to comment further.

Reports from Ecuador said in 2021 that Castillo had been accepted as an Ecuadorean, enabling him to play for the national team.

Castillo played his first match with Ecuador, five months after this decision, which was mentioned in the Telegraph newspaper.

The Ecuadorean Federation denied what it considered "baseless rumors" aimed at destabilizing it from those who want to prevent its participation in the Qatar finals.

"We must confirm (and declare) that Byron Castillo is Ecuadorean by all legal means," he said in a statement.

Castillo played eight of the 18 qualifiers with Ecuador, during which the team won 14 out of 26 points.

If Ecuador had lost points in the matches in which Castillo had participated, it might have lost its place in the World Cup.

Chile said on Thursday it had lodged an appeal with FIFA's appeal committee.

"We are fully confident in our findings," Jorge Junje, secretary general of the Chilean Football Association, said in a statement.

"It is absolutely clear that the player is using a fake Ecuadorean document. What is at stake here is not just a place in the 2022 World Cup but the entire principle of fair play."

Chile finished seventh in the qualifiers with 19 points, but Chilean federation lawyer Eduardo Carlizzo said that if Chile got points from Ecuador's two matches in which Castillo participated, they would qualify for the World Cup instead of competing.

Ecuador was placed in the first group, along with the host country Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands.

The World Cup kicks off on November 21.

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