FIFA has concluded its investigation into claims of an ineligible player used by the Ecuadorian football federation (FEF) during World Cup qualifying, as the nation's place at Qatar 2022 hung in the balance.

According to a claim brought forward by the Chilean federation, Ecuador deployed an ineligible player, Byron Castillo, throughout World Cup qualifying and the contention was that La Tri should be removed from the World Cup after qualifying for Qatar 2022 as the fourth-placed team in South America.

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"After analysing the submi sions of all parties concerned and considering all elements brought before it, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to close the proceedings initiated against the FEF Ecuador . ... The present decision remains subject to an appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee."

Chile, which finished in seventh place in South American qualifying, insists that Castillo was ineligible and that the Chilean team should earn the World Cup spot over Ecuador given it played two matches against Ecuador in which Castillo played.

Reports indicate that Chile will appeal the decision, including potentially with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Ed Reed Jersey

Meanwhile, Ecuador is set to retain its place at the World Cup, where it was drawn into Group A at the 2022 World Cup alongside hosts Qatar, the Netherlands, and Senegal.

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Why was Ecuador investigated by FIFA?

FIFA's investigation concerned the eligibility of Ecuador international fullback Byron Castillo.

The global football governing body opened an investigation into Ecuador's deployment of Castillo throughout CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. The Chilean federation claimed to have proof that Castillo, who plays for Ecuadorian club Barcelona of Guayaquil, was born in Tumaco, Colombia and that the 23-year-old has been using a falsified birth certificate and pa sport.

Castillo played in eight World Cup qualifying matches for Ecuador, in which the country picked up 15 of its 26 points. Of those eight games, Castillo started seven and played 614 minutes, a sisting one goal.

On June 8, the lawyer on the case for the Chilean federation, Eduardo Carlezzo, stated that his side submitted all the proof to FIFA and he claimed that Ecuador would be disqualified from the World Cup.

" Castillo's parents were married in Tumaco, Byron was born in Tumaco and was baptized in Tumaco," Carlezzo said, in Mexico. "The idea of this investigation is to present in a fairly clear and transparent way all the arguments we have, the documents we have. Whoever speaks the truth cannot be afraid of the truth ."

FIFA ultimately did not side with the Chilean federation.

Could Ecuador still be banned from the World Cup?

FIFA did not ascertain Chile's claim that Castillo was ineligible to play for Ecuador, and so La Tri remains in the 2022 World Cup. However, Chile could still appeal the decision.

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If an appeal is succe sful, one potential result would be the wiping out of all points that Ecuador won in the eight matches in which Castillo played, instead awarding those opponents forfeit victories in all eight games. That would leave Ecuador with just 11 points in South American (CONMEBOL) qualification, meaning the country would drop to ninth in the 10-team table, leaving it outside the qualification positions. That's a scenario that would see Chile move up into a qualification spot.

If Chile's appeals were to result in Ecuador being expelled from qualifying, that could result in the wiping out of all 18 matches. That course of action could potentially see Colombia move up ahead of Chile.

There's no official word of any appeal from the Chilean federation, although reports indicated that it was likely.

Who could replace Ecuador at the World Cup if Chile appeals FIFA ruling?

While Chile is the nation that reported Ecuador to FIFA in Earl Thomas III Jersey the hopes of taking its 2022 World Cup place, it's not guaranteed that Chile would be the team to replace Ecuador in Qatar if it pursues the appeal proce s and it proves to be succe sful.

How Chile could replace Ecuador

If Ecuador's eight matches in which Castillo played were changed to 3-0 forfeits, Chile would rise from seventh into fourth in the standings, an automatic qualifying position. Castillo played in both matches and Chile came away with just one point out of a po sible six.

Meanwhile, Castillo did not play in either game against Colombia or Peru. Therefore, if Chile gained an extra five points in the standings, it would be the one to finish in fourth place ahead of Peru on the goal differential tiebreaker (Chile's new goal differential of +1 would best Peru's goal differential of -3.) In that instance, Peru would maintain its fifth place position which has it playing the intercontinental qualification playoff (Peru is currently set to face Australia on June 13).

How Colombia or Peru could replace Ecuador

If a succe sful appeal from Chile results in Ecuador banned from qualification entirely and the next team in the table is taken, Chile would not be the first team elevated into a qualification spot.

In this alternate scenario, Peru would be lifted to an automatic qualifying position (fourth place), while Colombia, the team that finished just outside of the qualifying zone in sixth place, Patrick Onwuasor Jersey would see its World Cup hopes revived as the fifth-place playoff team.

The latter course of action seems highly unlikely because it would bring with it serious logistical i sues. Peru is currently in Qatar preparing to play in the intercontinental qualifying playoff match against Australia on June 13. If Peru was bumped to fourth and Colombia was elevated to fifth, it would mean the Colombian side would need to contest the intercontinental playoff, and the game would Sam Koch Jersey almost surely need to be rearranged given the change of participants on such short notice.

Has a team ever been disqualified from the World Cup before?

There is precedent for a team to be banned World Cup contention on the grounds of fielding an ineligible player, or other sanctionable offenses.

Chile was the target of a 1994 World Cup ban after goalkeeper Roberto Rojas feigned injury during 1990 World Cup qualifying. It was discovered that Rojas used a hidden razor blade to cut himself, making it look like he was injured by a flare that never hit him. Chilean players refused to retake the field after the incident citing security concerns, but video showed the sequence of events to be a hoax. The 2-0 forfeit lo s was enough to knock out Chile from the 1990 World Cup and see it subsequently punished with a ban from the 1994 competition.

Mexico was banned from the 1990 World Cup after the "Cachirules" scandal, in which it fielded four overage players at the CONCACAF Under-20 championships.

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