Castillo left out of Ecuador’s squad for Qatar World Cup
Ecuador have left defender Byron Castillo out of their 26-man squad for the World Cup despite the player being deemed an Ecuadorean national by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
CAS decided earlier this month that Ecuador could play at the World Cup in Qatar after dismissing a claim by Chile that Castillo had been ineligible to play during the qualifiers.
But coach Gustavo Alfaro has decided not to call up Castillo after Ecuador got a three-point deduction for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs ($106 033.29) for the “use of a document containing false information.”
In September, FIFA had dismissed Chile’s appeal following their original complaint that Castillo was born in Tumaco, Colombia in 1995 and not in the Ecuadorean city of General Villamil Playas in 1998, as stated on his documents.
However, CAS said the Ecuadorean Football Federation (FEF) had violated Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code for the use of a document containing false information.
Ecuador’s Vice President Alfredo Borrero will be at the tournament’s opening match on Sunday when the country face hosts Qatar since President Guillermo Lasso will not be attending.
Ecuador will also play Senegal and Netherlands in Group A. —Reuters
