Will Chile replace Ecuador in World Cup? FIFA probes into Byron Castillo's nationality

Ecuador's chances of playing in FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is in jeopardy following the latest report about the ineligibility of one of the national team player. The player in question is Byron Castillo with the Chilean Football Federation questioning the granting of Ecuadorian citizenship to the football player. FIFA has now formally opened an investigation into the Byron Castillo case following the complaint.

Byron Castillo case: Will Ecuador lose World Cup spot? FIFA issues statement

Byron Castillo played with the Ecuadorian national team in the qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The defender was selected by Ecuadorian coach Gustavo Alfaro for the two matches against Paraguay and Chile and later on for key matches against Uruguay, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Argentina.

As per the MARCA report FIFA "has invited the Ecuadorian Federation and the Peruvian Football Federation to present their positions to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in Byron Castillo case. The statement released by FIFA said, "As recently confirmed by FIFA, the Chilean Football Association has lodged a complaint with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in which it made a series of allegations concerning the possible falsification of documents granting Ecuadorian nationality to the player Byron David Castillo Segura, as well as the possible ineligibility of the said player to participate in eight qualifying matches of the national team of the Ecuadorian Football Association (FEF) in the preliminary competition of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022".

"Bearing the above in mind, FIFA has decided to open disciplinary proceedings in relation to the potential ineligibility of Byron David Castillo Segura with regard to the above-mentioned matches. In this context, the FEF and the Peruvian Football Association have been invited to submit their positions to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. Further details will follow in due course".

What is Byron Castillo nationality? Chile Football Federation lawyer reveals details

Earlier MARCA had reported that Ecuador allegedly hid the true identity of Byron Castillo. As per the report the lawyer of the Chilean Football Federation, Eduardo Carlezzo, has told the publication that Castillo's documents are fake, noting that the player is Colombian.

He said, "We have thoroughly investigated the case to really understand where the player was born and we are clear - he was born in Colombia. What we are stating categorically is that Byron Javier Castillo Segura was born in Tumaco, Colombia, on July 25, 1995, and Byron David Castillo Segura, who would have been born on November 10, 1998, does not exist, he is a ghost. It is an adulteration, a forgery and even a crime by the laws of Ecuador."

Will Chile qualify for the FIFA World Cup at Ecuador's expense? 

While Ecuador finished on the fourth spot, Chile finished the campaign in the seventh spot with 19 points. Chile's chances of qualifying for FIFA World CUP looks still bleak even if Ecuador gets disqualified. In case of disqualification, Peru will take their spot, while Colombia will move into fifth place and play in the playoff. Chile was four points behind the current sixth-placed team Colombia. However, if  FIFA forces Ecuador to forfeit only the eight matches in which Castillo played in, which include both matches against Chile, then they also they would end up as the fourth-place team.