Reprieve for Ecuador as FIFA Makes Final Decision on Their World Cup Fate

• Ecuador will be at the World Cup 2022 in November after FIFA tossed out a damning case against them
• Chile had reported Ecuador on allegations that the nation fielded a Colombian during the qualifiers
• Had Ecuador been found guilty, they would have been expelled from the spectacle and consequently replaced by Chille, who failed to qualify

Ecuador have been handed reprieve after football governing body FIFA on Friday closed an inquiry brought forward by non-qualifying Chile about the country fielding an ineligible player.

Chile’s Football Federation (FFC) had initially filed a complaint claiming Ecuador had fielded Byron Castillo for a number of the nation’s qualifier games, despite the chap allegedly being Colombian.

There were also claims that Castillo had faked his age.

The explosive allegations put Ecuador at risk of being expelled from the World Cup and being replaced by Chile but FIFA released a statement on Friday confirming that the case was now closed.

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"The present decision remains subject to an appeal before the Fifa Appeal Committee," a statement from FIFA read.

Following the decision, Ecuador will now be at the World Cup, featuring in Group A alongside Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands.

Francisco Egas, the president of the Ecuadorian FA, welcomed the decision by FIFA, saying justice had been done.

"We celebrate it more because we felt humiliated, we felt trampled by the great media campaign from the Chilean federation." He said as quoted by BBC.

Had Ecuador been found guilty, Chile would have leapfrogged them to gain a slot in the World Cup, scheduled to start in November 2022.

Under FIFA rules, it is illegal for a player to represent a country which they do not hold the nationality.

Castillo featured for Ecuador in important qualifier matches including both games against Chille.