Chile had argued Byron Castillo was ineligible to feature for Ecuador, presenting evidence the player was born in Colombia.
Ecuador’s place at the World Cup in Qatar is secure after FIFA rejected Chile’s bid to have their South American rivals excluded from the tournament.
A place in Group A, including the tournament opener against Qatar on November 20, was at risk due to the eligibility of Byron Castillo – who played eight times during qualifying.
Chile presented evidence that Castillo was born in Colombia and they were looking for action to make them replace Ecuador in the tournament.
However, FIFA’s appeals committee closed the proceedings against the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF).
“After analyzing the submissions of all parties and after conducting a hearing, the Appeals Committee confirmed the decision of the Disciplinary Committee to close the proceedings against the FEF,” the statement said.
“Among other things, he considered that, based on the documents submitted, the player should have been considered a player of permanent Ecuadorian nationality in accordance with Article 5(1) of the FIFA Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes.”
Chile can still appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
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