Less than three days before FIFA's official pronouncement on the Byron Castillo case, last Monday various documents and an audio were released revealing details of how the player obtained Ecuadorian nationality. The British newspaper Daily Mail was the one who spread this information, shaking up Latin American football once again.
In the recording, the footballer, among other things, says that he was actually born in 1995 instead of 1998, which is the date on his Ecuadorian birth certificate. He also gives his full name as Bayron Javier Castillo Segura, matching the details on his Colombian birth certificate rather than the name on his Ecuadorian certificate, Byron David Castillo Segura.
The English media assures that Castillo had a conversation with the Investigative Commission Chief of the FEF in 2018. When the personnel of the Ecuadorian entity explicitly asks him, "When were you born?" the athlete responds, "In '95". Later on, he claims to be really named "Bayron Javier Castillo Segura" and provides details about his family composition, "It's just me and a sister. My sister's name is María Eugenia. My dad's name is Harrinson Javier and my mom's name is Olga Eugenia Segura Ortiz. They know everything..."
The response from Byron's lawyer
Lawyer Andrés Holguín has come forward to assure that the audio used by Chile in its attempt to eliminate Ecuador from the World Cup has no effect because it is evidence that has already been discarded in the process.
"The audio that is circulating is nothing new. Furthermore, a constitutional judge did not consider it as evidence since it could not be certified that it was from Castillo," Holguín stated this Monday when interviewed by a radio station in Quito hours after the
In addition, the lawyer for the defender of León club in Mexico added that "in the FIFA process, this audio cannot be presented as evidence since it was not presented in the first instance and neither in the appeal, this does not affect anything," he insisted.
Byron Castillo Case: Chile's claim
In May of this year, the International Federation of Association Football announced its decision to open disciplinary proceedings regarding Byron David Castillo Segura's possible non-compliance, following the accusation by the Football Federation of Chile of false nationality of the player.
Thus, a complaint was filed with FIFA against the Ecuadorian federation for the "use of a false birth certificate, false representation of age, and false nationality" of Byron Castillo, who allegedly was born in Colombia.
However, one month later, the highest football governing body decided to close the disciplinary proceedings it had initiated against Ecuador, dismissing the Chilean claim. In response, the authorities of Chilean football announced to the media that they appealed the ruling. The final result will be announced on Thursday, September 15.
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