They downplayed it: Ecuador Federation speaks out on the audio leak of Byron Castillo.

The publication of Daily Mail, an audio in which Byron Castillo claimed to be from Colombia, generated various repercussions. In Chile, whose Federation denounced the case of false documentation before FIFA, they are on alert because it would imply a possible qualification for the 2022 World Cup instead of the Ecuadorian national team.

Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) takes the matter calmly and only thinks about the preparation for the World Cup. In this regard, Carlos Manzur, vice president of the northern entity, expressed himself regarding the leak of the recording of the current León de México full-back.

"There is nothing new to say. All this information has been circulating on the networks for four years," said the member of the board of the FEF in a conversation with El Deportivo de La Tercera, a newspaper from Chile. "I am not worried about anything," added the leader.

Next, Manzur recalled that FIFA had already dismissed the claim a few months ago, despite the amount of evidence presented by Chile. "When it all started, we clearly stated that we were calm about the FEF's actions. And after the disciplinary resolution, it was quite clear," he added.

In this sense, the representative of the sports institution pointed out that they are awaiting the verdict that FIFA's Appeals Committee will issue regarding Byron Castillo's situation. "I understand the sensationalism of the media, but beyond that, we only wait for the resolutions," he said.

Will Byron Castillo attend the FIFA hearing?

This Thursday, September 15, the hearing to continue with Byron Castillo's case will take place. Initially, the lawyer for the former Barcelona de Guayaquil, Andrés Holguín, revealed that his client will not attend: "He is not legally obliged to appear, he is not a party. In a trial, if my witnesses decide not to go, I cannot force them. It's not like the United States," he said.

However, Manzur stated the opposite: "The player has been summoned and must be available for the hearing. The FEF has transmitted the summons to him, his agent, and his lawyer on several occasions. And I repeat: those audios have been circulating on the networks for several years. They do not exist in the FEF," he concluded.

What did Byron Castillo say in the leaked audio?

In the disclosure from the English media, Byron Castillo acknowledged that he was born in 1995, but his documents show that it was in 1998. Likewise, the defender stated that his name is "Bayron Javier Castillo Segura", although his documents appear as "Byron David Castillo Segura".

Castillo revealed that he traveled from Tumaco, Colombia, to San Lorenzo, Ecuador, in order to start his career as a footballer. Later, after settling in that country, the defender pointed to Marco Zambrano, owner of Norte América (Byron's former club), as the person responsible for providing him with altered documents.