June 10, 2022

The brief from today:

Chile’s last ditch attempt to qualify for the 2022 World Cup denied

Chile finished South American World Cup qualifying in 7th place on 19 points, with Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia finishing 4th, 5th, and 6th respectively. With the top four automatically qualifying, and the fifth place finisher going to a playoff against a team from the Asian Confederation, Chile’s chances of going to Qatar had vanished. That is until they filed a complaint with FIFA about Ecuador’s full back, Byron Castillo. The issue raised was that he was ineligible to play for Ecuador because he is allegedly Colombian, and his birth certificate and nationality were both fraudulent. The hope was they would be awarded the six points for the two matches he played in against Chile, and that would take them up to fourth at the expense of Ecuador. FIFA ruled against Chile today, saying they have closed the case after analyzing what was presented to them. FIFA has left the decision open to appeal, but barring any turnaround, Ecuador are confirmed for Qatar.

Byron Castillo during Ecuador’s national anthem

US pre-season exhibitions return

Real Madrid and Barcelona confirmed they will be heading back to the US for a pre-season set of fixtures in July. After taking the past two summer off due to COVID, the two Spanish teams will make their return, with one of their respective matches being against each other on July 23 in Las Vegas. This will be the second Clasico in the US after the previous one in 2017 that Barca won 3-2.

Cameroon players donate to a good cause

Earlier this year Cameroon hosted the Africa Cup of Nations, and sadly, one of the matches at the Olembe stadium was the scene of a stadium crush that killed eight, and injured 38 others. The national team players have now collectively donated $80,700 to the victims and their families. This amount adds to the $143,000 already given by the government.