Ecuador national team head coach Gustavo Alfaro has left Byron Castillo out of his 2022 FIFA World Cup squad.
Castillo was involved in a legal dispute, with Ecuador’s World Cup qualifiers opponents alleging that he forged his official documents.
His documents indicated that he was born in Ecuador in 1998 but Chile argued that Castillo was born in 1995 in Colombia.
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Chile and their Northern neighbours Peru, who were also in the same group, sought Ecuador to be kicked out of the upcoming tournament for fielding an ineligible player.
The case was heard by FIFA and in June, all charges against the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) were dropped by the world governing body.
Chile and Peru, not satisfied with the ruling, appealed FIFA’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), located in Switzerland.
On November 5, CAS upheld the decision made by FIFA, ruling that Castillo was eligible to play for Ecuador.
The Ecuador national team, which is in Group A, will curtain raise the upcoming world cup against hosts Qatar on Sunday, November 20, at 7 pm East African time.
Reigning African Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions Senegal and Netherlands are also in the same group.
Some of the stars who have been named in Ecuador’s squad include Fenerbahce forward Enner Valencia, Robert Arboleda (São Paulo), and Felix Torres (Santos Laguna).
The Brighton & Hove Albion trio of Pervis Estupinan, Moises Caicedo and Jeremy Sarmiento will also be in the squad.
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