After intense speculation, this Friday Fifa announced its verdict on the appeal filed by the Chilean Football Federation (ANFP) several weeks ago with the aim of qualifying for the World Cup alleging an alleged irregularity in the participation of the player Byron Castillo, with Ecuador, in the South American qualifiers.
In this first instance, the entity that governs world football gave Castillo a boost by deciding to close the investigation against the Ecuadorian Federation for the matter in question. In principle, Fifa would have taken into account several reasons. However, there is a weighty one that is emerging as the great reason for supporting Ecuador.
Fifa’s reasons to support Ecuador
“The Fifa Disciplinary Commission has made a decision on the possible breach of Byron David Castillo Segura of the call criteria to participate with the national team of the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) in eight qualifying matches, corresponding to the phase FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Preliminary”, reads the entry in the entity’s statement.
“After analyzing all the documentation received from the parties, the Fifa Disciplinary Commission has decided to close the disciplinary procedure initiated against the FEF”, continues the text.
(Also: Piqué and Shakira: ‘hard’ video of their ‘last goodbye’, the weekend together).
Then, as in these cases, Fifa recalls in its statement the possibility that Chile has to appeal the ruling before the entity itself. Likewise, the Chilean Federation has the possibility of going directly to the Arbitration Court of Sport (TAS), which would give the last word as it is the highest instance.
Without having precise details of the decision, The one that is outlined as the compelling reason that motivated the verdict has to do with Castillo’s eligibility in the Ecuadorian National Team.
The player, whom Chile alleges was born in Colombia, had been under investigation in Ecuador for several years due to rumors about irregularities in his documentation.
In 2021, the Ecuadorian justice determined that, before its organs, Castillo is Ecuadorian. Hence, the coach Gustavo Alfaro, of the National Team of that country, decided to summon him for the eight commitments of which he was part of the last qualifying round for the World Cup in Qatar. Two of them against Chile.
(Don’t stop reading: Ecuador reacts to Fifa’s ruling on the Byron Castillo case).
Before Fifa, an entity that is not designed to determine the nationality of a person, the subject of analysis goes through the eligibility requirements of the soccer player in his National Team.
In accordance with its regulations, a player can be summoned by the National Team of a country if he was born in the same territory of the corresponding Federation (Ecuador, in the case of Castillo), if one of the biological parents was born in the territory of the Federation , if one of the grandparents was born in the territory of the Federation or if the player has lived for at least five years in the territory of the Federation.
This last cause would have been, on paper, the compelling reason for Fifa to decide to close its investigation promptly. The foregoing because, although the civil registry presented by Chile may be valid, and that Castillo was supposedly born in Tumaco (Nariño), the mere fact that Castillo has been in Ecuador for more than a decade and that he has never played for the Colombian National Team would be enough to endorse Byron Castillo and the Ecuadorian Football Federation.
(You can read: Piqué and Shakira, ‘separated’: reveal unpublished images of arrival in Spain).
From the outset, due to the absence of sanctions, it would be presumed that the player did not incur in any document falsification. However, if this possible irregularity is verified in the next instances, some punishment could be given against the player and/or the Federation. Of course, the safest thing is that it would not have to do with the elimination of Ecuador from the World Cup in Qatar.
More news
SPORTS
#Byron #Castillo #FIFAs #reasons #Ecuador #World #Cup #Chile