The arrival of a FIFA World Cup is not without its scandals. There are always a few incidents, especially off the field, that come to mind when looking back on previous editions of the tournament. When talking about Qatar 2022 in the future, we will remember the fight that Chile waged at the time to snatch its ticket to the World Cup from Ecuador, a battle that already has an end date.
After the conclusion of the always tough Conmebol Qualifiers, Ecuador was left with the last direct South American place to play in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and Chile had to assimilate the bitter taste of being out of the most prestigious tournament in the world.
However, following the return of a controversy from a few years ago about the alleged false Ecuadorian nationality of player Byron Castillo, Chile took the step to ask FIFA for a thorough investigation against Ecuador and punishment if found guilty. After months of speculation, the case has now been resolved.
When will FIFA’s resolution of the Ecuador-Byron Castillo and Chile case be announced?
After previously announcing that the final ruling on the complaint filed by Chile for improper alignment of Ecuador during the Qatar 2022 Conmebol Qualifiers would be announced on June 14, FIFA announced that this event would be brought forward to June 10.
Despite this change of date in the process, the deadline for Ecuador to deliver all the evidence to prove that Byron Castillo is Ecuadorian by birth and that the date of birth stated in the certificate that Ecuador has as official is also true.
It should be clarified that in the event that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee finds Ecuador guilty of misalignment in the case of Byron Castillo, the sanction would be that the points obtained with Castillo on the field during the Conmebol Qualifiers would be withdrawn, which would automatically mean losing its place in Qatar 2022, which would be taken away by Chile for having played two matches against La Tri with the participation of Byron Castillo.