NATIONAL SPORTS

Chile files claim at FIFA, aiming for Ecuador’s World Cup spot

Chile seeks to gain a spot in the FIFA World Cup by submitting a complaint against player Byron David Castillo Segura and his Ecuadorian team. Alleging there was a false declaration regarding Castillo’s particulars, Chile now waits for FIFA’s Disciplinary Commission’s decision. Chile asks that forfeits be declared for games in which Castillo played; and, if they are, Chile would immediately vault into Ecuador’s place at the World Cup.

Thursday morning, May 5, the Football Federation of Chile released a statement regarding the submission of its complaint against a player named Byron David Castillo Segura. The federation said in its report that the cause for the complaint was “due to the use of a false birth certificate, false declaration of age, and false nationality on the part of the mentioned player.”

The Federation insists that a substantial amount of evidence has been collected that shows Castillo was born in Colombia and is three years older than listed in his official paperwork. According to FIFA’s policy, matches played by ineligible players must be overturned as a 3-0 loss.

FIFA confirmed receipt of the complaint, but issued no comments or statements about it. If FIFA approves a decision to award a forfeit loss to all matches played by Castillo, Chile would advance to the World Cup from the South American qualifying group. Currently, the nation is in 7th place, seven points behind Ecuador. “The practice of serious and conscious irregularities in the registration of players cannot be accepted, especially when we are talking about a world competition,” stated the Chilean Football Federation. 

In its statement, the Chilean Football Federation claimed that the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) was aware of the irregularities in Castillo’s documents and emphasized that a blind eye can not be turned to the amount of evidence presented in the case, and the importance of “fair play on and off the field.”

This is not the first time Chile has been involved in the submission of complaints against ineligible players from other nations. In 2018 qualifications for the FIFA World Cup, Chile filed a complaint which resulted in Bolivia having to forfeit two games due to the substitution of an ineligible player in its roster. As similar circumstances present themselves four years later, Chile awaits any response from FIFA, hoping to keep its World Cup dreams alive. 

 

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