‘The Byron Castillo thing is a sentenced judicial issue that decreed that he is Ecuadorian’, reaffirms the president of Barcelona SC

Once it became known that the Chilean soccer federation (ANFP) began a process to claim the lost points against Ecuador in the qualifying round for the 2022 Qatar World Cup due to the possible “irregular alignment” of defender Byron Castillo -as revealed to the agency EFE the manager of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Gianfranco Dazzarola–, the president of Barcelona SC, Carlos Alfaro Moreno, insisted in an interview with EL UNIVERSO that this case is “a judicial issue sentenced in the second instance” that decreed that the Canarian soccer player is Ecuadorian.

The possible improper alignment of Castillo spurred the illusion of the Red this Wednesday after the newspaper Clear Brand of Colombia assured: “After a long trial, it has just been determined that Byron Castillo, quoted several times by Gustavo Alfaro, is Colombian. The Barcelona player was born in Tumaco, Nariño”.

Just minutes after a journalist’s version of radio snailseveral televisions, among these ESPN Chilebegan to speculate on the possibility that Chile could achieve in the offices what it could not achieve in the field.

According to media calculations, if the regulations are applied and the points achieved with Castillo in the field are taken away from Ecuador -to give them to their rivals-, Chile would add five more, which would allow it to be in fourth place, with a direct place for the World Cup, ahead of Peru, which would be left with the same points but fewer goals.

Faced with the controversy, the Barcelona SC principal reaffirmed to EL UNIVERSO that there is “a judicial issue sentenced in the second instance where it was decreed that (Castillo) is Ecuadorian. From then on he was summoned (to the National Team)”.

“Thank God it is a sentenced judicial issue. The Federation began to convene it when the Justice decreed and put an end to this issue. We were always calm”, underlined Alfaro Moreno.

The manager indicates that it was not necessary for the FEF to consult FIFA regarding Castillo’s situation with a view to his first call to the senior team.

“I understand that it was not necessary. FIFA is simply very respectful of the decisions of each country and each government. In these moments of a judicial-country issue and when it was decreed in the second instance and terminated, Byron was summoned when the Federation had all the pertinent legal requirements. For the tranquility of the Ecuadorian people there is no risk; that is already absolutely clear for us as a club and I understand that also for the Federation”, concluded the president of Barcelona SC.

Ecuador, which finished fourth in the qualifying campaign, is drawn in Group A at the World Cup with hosts Senegal and the Netherlands. (D)