World Cup 2022: Ecuador cleared to play in Qatar by Court of Arbitration for Sport
- Published
Byron Castillo played in eight of Ecuador's 18 World Cup qualifiers
Ecuador have been cleared to play at the World Cup after the Court of Arbitration for Sport agreed with Fifa over the eligibility of Byron Castillo.
Chile and Peru had lodged appeals with Fifa over Castillo's involvement in Ecuador's qualifying games, claiming he is Colombian and had falsified his age.
In June, Fifa ruled Castillo, 23, was eligible to play international football for Ecuador, which led Chile and Peru to appeal to Cas over the decision.
Ecuador face Qatar on 20 November.
In a statement Cas said that, since the nationality of a player is determined by national laws, Castillo was free to play as the Ecuadorian authorities acknowledged the right-back as an "Ecuadorian national".
Ecuador finished fourth in Conmebol qualifying and claimed an automatic place ahead of Peru at the World Cup, where they are due to play in Group A with Senegal, the Netherlands and hosts Qatar.
The Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) had asked for Ecuador to be excluded from the tournament and be replaced by Peru, while Chile's football association wanted the eight games Castillo played in declared as forfeited.
While Castillo's passport was ruled to be authentic, Cas said it contained falsified information - namely his place and date of birth as he was born in Tumaco, Colombia.
As a result, the court imposed a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs (£87,600) and a three-point deduction going into the next World Cup qualifying round for relying on a false document.
The statement added that the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) had to be held liable for the passport, even if it was "not the author of the falsified document but only the user".