KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- Ecuador’s place at the World Cup finals remains at risk after the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted jurisdiction over the Chilean and Peruvian FAs complaint of player ineligibility.

Earlier this month a FIFA appeal panel upheld the world federation’s earlier ruling that 23-year-old rightback Byron Castillo had played for Ecuador in the South American qualifiers under false documentation after having been born in Colombia.

Chile and Peru have now taken their complaint, as promised, to CAS. A ‘simple’ expulsion of Ecuador would see fifth-placed Peru take their spot in the finals with Colombia moving up into fifth place with the notional, if unrealistic, right to replay an intercontinental playoff against Australia.

However, if Ecuador were ordered to forfeit the eight matches in which Castillo played – which included home and away ties with the Chileans – then Chile would end up as the fourth place team.

In 2017 FIFA punished Nigeria for using an ineligible player in a World Cup qualifier against Algeria. In that case Abdullahi Shehu played despite having previously received two yellow cards which ruled him ineligible. The match ended 1-1 but, on appeal, the result was overturned as a 3-0 win for Algeria.

CAS, with time running short before Ecuador are due to open the finals against Qatar in on November 20, said in a statement:

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has registered the appeals filed by the Peruvian and Chilean football associations against the decision taken by the FIFA Appeal Committee on 15 September 2022 [over the eligibility of Byron David Castillo Segura to participate in the round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between September 2021 and March 2022].

Alternatives

The appeal filed by the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) is directed at the FEF and FIFA.

The FPF requests that Ecuador be excluded from the FIFA World Cup 2022 and replaced by Peru, which is the best runner-up.

The appeal filed by the Chilean Football Association (FFCH) is directed at the FEF, the player Byron David Castillo Segura, and FIFA. The FFCH requests CAS to rule that the player was ineligible for the eight matches played in the qualifiers, declaring those matches as forfeited and placing Chile in the fourth position in the South America 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Both appellants request that CAS issue its final award on or before 10 November 2022 at the latest.

The CAS arbitrations have commenced and are at an early stage. A procedural calendar is in preparation.

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