Post by Neva on Sept 30, 2022 15:47:13 GMT -5
Ecuador face being kicked out of the World Cup after Sportsmail obtained new evidence of a shocking admission from one of their players of using a false birth certificate, with the confession made in an official investigation that was covered up by the Ecuador Football Federation [FEF].
The stunning revelation in FIFA's inquiry into the case of Byron Castillo comes days before their Appeals Commission are due to rule on the matter on Thursday, and could alter the identity of Qatar's opponents in the first game of the World Cup and who England will face in the last 16.
An extraordinary story involving alleged fake identities and an apparent cover-up by the Ecuador Federation centres on the question of whether Castillo, a right-back who made eight appearances in World Cup qualifying, was born in the country or across the border in Colombia.
In a new piece of evidence that will send shockwaves through South American football and create a major headache for FIFA, Sportsmail today publishes an audio recording of an interview Castillo gave to investigators four years ago, in which he:
Clearly states he was born in 1995 as opposed to the 1998 date given on his Ecuadorian birth certificate.
Gives his full name as Bayron Javier Castillo Segura, matching the details of his Colombian birth certificate, rather than the name on the Ecuador certificate, Byron David Castillo Segura.
Describes in detail leaving the Colombian city of Tumaco for San Lorenzo in Ecuador to pursue a career in football.
Names an Ecuadorian businessman who provided him with a new identity.
Byron Castillo played eight times as Ecuador qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but Sportsmail has new evidence of him admitting to being Colombian
His real name is Bayron Javier Castillo Segura and his Colombian birth certificate shows it
Above is a copy of the document showing the player's Colombian baptism certificate
The recording comes from a formal interview conducted by the head of the FEF's Investigative Commission with Castillo in 2018.
In another seismic development Sportsmail today publish a letter outlining the conclusions of the Investigative Commission, which were delivered to the FEF's president and Disciplinary Commission in December 2018.
The letter states that Castillo is a Colombian national who was born in Tumaco in 1995, as well as adding that they have audio proof of the player's confession. Despite this in 2019 the FEF officially ruled that Castillo was an Ecuadorian citizen.
FIFA have been investigating Castillo since April when they received an official complaint from the Chilean FA, who claimed that he was ineligible to represent Ecuador as he is a Colombian citizen who entered Ecuador as an illegal immigrant.
Hosts Qatar are due to play Ecuador in the opening game of the World Cup against on 20 November so removing them from the tournament at this late stage would be a major embarrassment for FIFA, who in June dismissed Chile's complaint with a ruling that Castillo was born in Ecuador.
This evidence was not presented in the June hearing.
FIFA are due to make a decision on whether Ecuador are banned from the World Cup
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Chile's case centres on allegations that Castillo was born in Tumaco, Colombia, in 1995, whereas his passports states that he was born in 1998 in General Villamil, Ecuador. There are two birth certificates registering slightly different names connected to the player which are also published by Sportsmail today - one from Colombia (Bayron Javier Castillo Segura) and another from Ecuador (Byron David Castillo Segura.) The Colombian certificate states that Castillo was born on 25 July 1995 and the Ecuadorian certificate has his date of birth as 10 November 1998.
The doubts over Castillo's identity first emerged in 2015 when his proposed transfer between two Ecuadorian clubs Norteamerica and Club Emelec collapsed due to 'irregularities' in his documentation.
In 2018 Norteamerica were suspended by the FEF after being found guilty of sponsoring and benefitting from players' falsified documents, which led the FEF to set up an independent Investigative Commission to examine the issue fake passports being used football clubs throughout the country.
The crucial interview with Castillo in which he appears to admit that his official documents are fake took place in Ecuador in December 2018.
In the interview Castillo is asked by the investigator, 'when exactly were you born?' to which he replies, 'In 95.' The investigator's next questions is, 'And which year does the ID have?' an inquiry which gets the response '98.'
Castillo is then asked, 'What are your real names?' to which he answers, 'Bayron Javier Castillo Segura.'
This is documentation to go with audio of Byron Castillo during the Ecuadorian investigation
Byron Castillo was a fixture in the Ecuador team for their World Cup qualifying campaign
Castillo goes on to describe in some detail leaving his home in Tumaco for San Lorenzo, which is located around 50 miles over the border in Ecuador.
The stunning revelation in FIFA's inquiry into the case of Byron Castillo comes days before their Appeals Commission are due to rule on the matter on Thursday, and could alter the identity of Qatar's opponents in the first game of the World Cup and who England will face in the last 16.
An extraordinary story involving alleged fake identities and an apparent cover-up by the Ecuador Federation centres on the question of whether Castillo, a right-back who made eight appearances in World Cup qualifying, was born in the country or across the border in Colombia.
In a new piece of evidence that will send shockwaves through South American football and create a major headache for FIFA, Sportsmail today publishes an audio recording of an interview Castillo gave to investigators four years ago, in which he:
Clearly states he was born in 1995 as opposed to the 1998 date given on his Ecuadorian birth certificate.
Gives his full name as Bayron Javier Castillo Segura, matching the details of his Colombian birth certificate, rather than the name on the Ecuador certificate, Byron David Castillo Segura.
Describes in detail leaving the Colombian city of Tumaco for San Lorenzo in Ecuador to pursue a career in football.
Names an Ecuadorian businessman who provided him with a new identity.
Byron Castillo played eight times as Ecuador qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but Sportsmail has new evidence of him admitting to being Colombian
His real name is Bayron Javier Castillo Segura and his Colombian birth certificate shows it
Above is a copy of the document showing the player's Colombian baptism certificate
The recording comes from a formal interview conducted by the head of the FEF's Investigative Commission with Castillo in 2018.
In another seismic development Sportsmail today publish a letter outlining the conclusions of the Investigative Commission, which were delivered to the FEF's president and Disciplinary Commission in December 2018.
The letter states that Castillo is a Colombian national who was born in Tumaco in 1995, as well as adding that they have audio proof of the player's confession. Despite this in 2019 the FEF officially ruled that Castillo was an Ecuadorian citizen.
FIFA have been investigating Castillo since April when they received an official complaint from the Chilean FA, who claimed that he was ineligible to represent Ecuador as he is a Colombian citizen who entered Ecuador as an illegal immigrant.
Hosts Qatar are due to play Ecuador in the opening game of the World Cup against on 20 November so removing them from the tournament at this late stage would be a major embarrassment for FIFA, who in June dismissed Chile's complaint with a ruling that Castillo was born in Ecuador.
This evidence was not presented in the June hearing.
FIFA are due to make a decision on whether Ecuador are banned from the World Cup
RELATED ARTICLES
Previous
1
Next
When can the Premier League's postponed fixtures take place?... USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter says Thomas Tuchel being fired... Saudi Arabia 'set to announce joint bid along with Egypt and... Amnesty International declares it 'virtually impossible' to...
Share this article
Share
1.7k shares
Chile's case centres on allegations that Castillo was born in Tumaco, Colombia, in 1995, whereas his passports states that he was born in 1998 in General Villamil, Ecuador. There are two birth certificates registering slightly different names connected to the player which are also published by Sportsmail today - one from Colombia (Bayron Javier Castillo Segura) and another from Ecuador (Byron David Castillo Segura.) The Colombian certificate states that Castillo was born on 25 July 1995 and the Ecuadorian certificate has his date of birth as 10 November 1998.
The doubts over Castillo's identity first emerged in 2015 when his proposed transfer between two Ecuadorian clubs Norteamerica and Club Emelec collapsed due to 'irregularities' in his documentation.
In 2018 Norteamerica were suspended by the FEF after being found guilty of sponsoring and benefitting from players' falsified documents, which led the FEF to set up an independent Investigative Commission to examine the issue fake passports being used football clubs throughout the country.
The crucial interview with Castillo in which he appears to admit that his official documents are fake took place in Ecuador in December 2018.
In the interview Castillo is asked by the investigator, 'when exactly were you born?' to which he replies, 'In 95.' The investigator's next questions is, 'And which year does the ID have?' an inquiry which gets the response '98.'
Castillo is then asked, 'What are your real names?' to which he answers, 'Bayron Javier Castillo Segura.'
This is documentation to go with audio of Byron Castillo during the Ecuadorian investigation
Byron Castillo was a fixture in the Ecuador team for their World Cup qualifying campaign
Castillo goes on to describe in some detail leaving his home in Tumaco for San Lorenzo, which is located around 50 miles over the border in Ecuador.