(Geneva) Chile have lost their appeal to replace Ecuador at the World Cup in Qatar, but FIFA’s verdict is likely to end up before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Posted at 11:01 a.m.
FIFA has rejected Chile’s argument that Ecuadorian player Byron Castillo was in fact Colombian and ineligible to play in World Cup qualifiers. Castillo played eight of them for Ecuador.
FIFA revealed that its appeals judges “considered that on the basis of the documents presented, the player should be considered to hold permanent Ecuadorian nationality in accordance” with football’s legal statutes.
The verdict, which upholds a FIFA disciplinary decision from June, keeps Ecuador on course to face Qatar in the opening match of the World Cup in Doha on November 20. The Netherlands and Senegal are also in Group A.
Chile’s legal challenge may continue, however.
The Chilean football federation can now appeal FIFA’s verdict to CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland. The sport’s highest court can arrange an urgent hearing and decision in the nine weeks remaining before the start of the World Cup.
Chile claimed to have evidence proving that Castillo is Colombian and should never have played for Ecuador.
Chile prepared their case after the World Cup draw on 1er April, and after organizers FIFA and Qatar sold thousands of tickets and accommodations to Ecuadorian fans.
If Ecuador had lost all eight games played by Castillo, Chile would have moved into an automatic fourth place in the South American qualifying group. Ecuador would have been left out of the competition.