GENEVA (AP) — Ecuador retained its World Cup spot thanks to a Swiss court ruling Tuesday, but will be discounted for 3 issues in qualifying for the 2026 tournament due to a fake document used to download a passport for a Colombian born player.
The CAS’s pressing ruling paves the way for Ecuador to face Qatar in the tournament’s opening match in Doha in less than two weeks. It also ended hopes for Chile and Peru, who had argued they deserved to upgrade their World Cup rivals. South America after acc Ecuador of an ineligible player in 8 qualifying matches.
But CAS judges said Ecuadorian defender Byron Castillo is eligible under FIFA rules to participate in the qualification crusade and World Cup in Qatar “given that the Ecuadorian government has identified Byron Castillo as an Ecuadorian citizen. “
However, the judges also said they accepted the argument that Castillo was born in Colombia and that false data about his date and position of birth had been used to download an Ecuadorian passport.
In favor of Ecuador, the CAS said that among “a series of mitigating factors” was the fact that the soccer federation had initiated disciplinary proceedings against Castillo “that was interrupted by a resolution of the Ecuadorian justice. “
CAS also imposed a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs ($101,000) that the Ecuadorian soccer federation must pay to FIFA, although that is only a small fraction of the $9 million Ecuador has guaranteed as a minimum prize to play in the World Cup.
The deduction of 3 problems in the South American qualifying organization for the 2026 World Cup could not be so expensive either. Qualification for this tournament will see six of South America’s 10 organizations qualify directly, instead of the 4 overall, after the World Cup was expanded. to 48 organizations. It will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The court’s logic for deferring the sanction on issues was that the sanction would not apply to the 2022 World Cup as Castillo was technically eligible.
Ecuador secured the fourth and final direct qualification spot in South America for the tournament that begins Nov. 20. Ecuador is in Group A with Qatar, the Netherlands and Senegal.
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