Key day in the Byron Castillo case: the evidence that Chile will take to FIFA and what you should know about the case and the future of Ecuador in Qatar 2022

FIFA: a key day is approaching in the case of Byron Castillo 1:57

(CNN Spanish) --

This Thursday is a key day for the Ecuadorian soccer team and, specifically, for the player Byron Castillo and his future in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

FIFA will hold an appeal hearing in Castillo's case on September 15.

It is a question of a last instance that will determine if Ecuador goes to Qatar or if the Chilean soccer team would go instead.

Eduardo Carlezzo, a lawyer representing the Chilean Football Federation, told CNN via email that he will bring an "unpublished audio" to the FIFA hearing about an alleged confession by the player that he is not Ecuadorian. .

"We brought to the attention of FIFA an unpublished audio that had never been published before, since, until Monday, the Ecuadorian Federation hardly had it. The authenticity of the audio is indisputable and the confession by the player is clear. The content of that audio was hidden for over 4 years," Carlezzo told CNN via email Thursday before the hearing.

CNN has not verified the content of the audio and Carlezzo did not provide him with a copy of this Fe.

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• Byron Castillo case: Why would Chile and not Colombia play the World Cup in Qatar if they eliminate Ecuador?

Ecuador's Byron Castillo suffers an injury during a match between Ecuador and Bolivia as part of the South American Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 at the Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo on October 07, 2021 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

(Credit: Franklin Jácome/Getty Images)

The event, which will be a private audience, FIFA told CNN, will take place in Zurich later.

FIFA said it has asked the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) to allow Castillo to be available for the hearing, but Andrés Holguín, Castillo's lawyer, has told several media outlets that his client will not attend the hearing. this Thursday at FIFA.

CNN has tried to communicate, without success, with Castillo and his lawyer.

FIFA told CNN that it will not comment on this case and will report the decision of soccer's governing body in due course.

That's how we got here.

• FIFA will investigate the "possible breach" of the Ecuadorian national team Byron Castillo

Chile reacts to FIFA ruling on Byron Castillo 2:12

The accusations against Byron Castillo

In May 2022, FIFA announced that it would open an investigation into allegations made by the Chilean Football Federation that Ecuador used an ineligible player in its Qatar World Cup qualifying campaign.

According to the Chilean Football Federation that month, Byron Castillo, defender of the Ecuadorian soccer team, was born in 1995 in Tumaco, Nariño, a municipality in southwestern Colombia, and not in the Ecuadorian city of General Villamil Playas in 1998. as stated in their official documents.

Chile presented before the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for the "use of false birth certificate, false declaration of age and false nationality", according to an official statement.

But Ecuador did not take long to respond to the accusations, saying that indeed Byron Castillo "is an "Ecuadorian citizen for all legal purposes" and that he has all the national documentation in order."

The Ecuadorian federation also described Chile's statements as "unfounded rumours" with "the clear objective of destabilizing the federation."

Andrés Holguín, Castillo's lawyer, has said that the player has an Ecuadorian passport and that is what validates his citizenship.

Ecuador defended the legitimacy of its qualification for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Byron Castillo (left) of Ecuador and Jean Meneses of Chile compete for the ball during their South American qualifying football match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the San Carlos de Apoquindo stadium in Santiago, on November 16, 2021. (Credit: MARCELO HERNANDEZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Chile appealed FIFA's decision

On June 10, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee closed the disciplinary procedure initiated against the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) in the Castillo case.

But Chile appealed this decision on July 1, insisting that the player is Colombian.

The lawyer for the Chilean Football Federation said he had evidence of Castillo admitting his nationality.

What happens if FIFA fails against Ecuador?

If FIFA rules in favor of Chile, Ecuador could be disqualified from the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

This because Castillo played in eight of Ecuador's 18 qualifying matches.

In those games, according to Reuters, the team added 14 of the 26 points with which they secured their place in Qatar.

Chile, for its part, was in seventh place with 19 points, but according to what Carlezzo told Reuters, if they give him the points from the two games against Ecuador in which Castillo played, he would go to the World Cup instead.

Ecuador is in Group A of the Qatar World Cup along with Senegal, the Netherlands and host Qatar.

The opening match of the World Cup will be played by Qatar against Ecuador on November 20.

The precedent in the 2018 Russia qualifiers that benefited Chile

FIFA determined in 2016, when the teams were fighting for a place in the World Cup in Russia, that the defender Nelson Cabrera, a Bolivian national, had violated the call criteria for the matches played against the teams of Peru and Chile.

The FIFA Disciplinary Commission fined the Bolivian Football Federation US$12,135 and deducted points, with which Chile moved up the table.

The following year the Bolivian federation appealed the body's decision, but it stood firm.

Byron Castillo