Mondiali Qatar 2022: Ecuador renounces Castillo

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

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

the case

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Chile had denounced Ecuador disputing Castillo’s origins. In the past, in fact, the validity of the player’s documents certifying his age and origin had already been discussed in the local courts, but the Ecuadorian nationality was finally ratified in 2021. The gesture of the Chileans was made with the hope that Fifa , recognizing Castillo as Colombian, could exclude Ecuador for fielding a footballer from another country. The body rejected the complaint, also presented by Peru, but the appeal to the TAS has opened some chinks. The sentence of the Arbitral Tribunal for Sport, which arrived a week ago, found Castillo suitable 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 qualifications for the 2026 World Cup and a fine of around 102 thousand euros, in addition to legal costs.

protest

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Thus, Castillo will not fly to Qatar. His presence was still under discussion, at least for the debut against the host national team, due to an ankle injury which occurred in the friendly match against Iraq played on Saturday. In any case, Ecuador protests. “We have acted in line with the rulings of the judges of our country, obeying the decisions of the authorities. Incomprehensibly, the sentence of Tas – which recognizes the player’s suitability – illegitimately sows a doubt that could jeopardize not only the progress of the team in the competition but also participation in the next edition by virtue of the sanctions that, without any legal basis, were imposed on the Fef. Although today our attention is turned to the World Cup in Qatar, our commitment is to exhaust all the resources that the law it grants us to demonstrate the correctness of our behavior and to remedy this unjust and painful situation, whatever the place where we have to do it “concludes the statement.