Earlier this year, Chile filed an appeal to Fifa supporting the acquisition of Ecuador’s place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The reason was Ecuadorian national team player Byron Castillo.
According to the New York Times, Chile believed that Castillo, 23 years oldnot only is he three years older than stated in the documents he identified himself as Ecuadorian, but also that he was born in Colombia. Chile has submitted documents and birth certificates which it claims support the allegation.
And now comes new data suggesting Chile is right.
The Daily Mail obtained an audio file in which Castillo claims he was born in 1995, not 1998. Furthermore, the defender claims his full name is Bayron Javier Castillo Segura, which corresponds to his Colombian birth record (obtained from Chile ) and not his certified Ecuadorian name is Byron David Castillo Segura. Also, according to the Daily Mail, in the audio file he talks about who gave him the new identity and how he left the Colombian city of Tumaco to move to San Lorenzo, Ecuador, to continue his football career.
Fifa has been investigating Castillo since the spring and will present the verdict on Thursday, reports the Daily Mail. If the confederation of Ecuador – which is said to have also tried to silence the affair – is found guilty along with Castillo, the national team risks losing its place in the World Cup. Chile is a candidate to take over, Peru (which fell in the playoffs) another.
Ecuador will play the World Cup opener against host nation Qatar on 20 November.
Castillo plays for Mexican Leon and has played a total of ten international matches.
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