One of the five South American nations that have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup reportedly face being kicked out of the tournament due to one of their players admitting he was not born in the country.
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According to the Daily Mail, Ecuador could see their spot in the competition being taken away following the surfacing of a four-year old voice recording in which right-back Byron Castillo admitted to originally being from Colombia.
The recording, as per the publication, was from an interview Castillo did with investigators in 2018, and was allegedly covered up by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF).
It is claimed that, in the clip, Castillo admits he was born in 1995 as opposed to the 1998 date provided in his reportedly forged Ecuadorian birth certificate, and describes at length his experience of leaving Colombia to pursue football in Ecuador.
The player, who represents Club Leon in Mexico currently, also provided authorities with the name of the Ecuadorian businessmen who helped him fake his identity.
Despite the 10-time Ecuador international's reported confession, it was ruled in 2019 by the FEF that Castillo was an Ecuadorian citizen, although the case resurfaced in April this year when the Chilean FA laid an official complaint with FIFA.
Ecuador are set to take on hosts Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup in November, but could face harsh repercussions should the evidence be brought into court before the tournament gets underway.
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It is believed that doubts over Castillo's true identity emerged seven years after a potential transfer to Ecuador club Norte America collapsed due to "irregularities" in his documentation.
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