List of footballers absent from Ecuador in the World Cup in Qatar

The Ecuadorean national team announced the official list of 26 names who will travel to Qatar to participate in the World Cup. Among the titles selected, some absences stand out, notably the absence of Byron Castillo, the focus of a controversy with the Chilean national team that has led to claims in the TAS that put La Tri’s participation in suspense.

Upon his arrival in the country, one of the facts that coach Gustavo Alfaro faced was the refusal of some players not to return to the tricolor.

Striker Felipe Caicedo and winger Lionel Ramirez, who plays in Russian football, have publicly resigned due to the criticism they received after not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

During the South American qualifiers there was a dispute with midfielder Christian Noboa, who stands out in Russian football. In recent months, he publicly announced his desire to participate in the World Cup, but he had no answers.

The Byron Castillo case came under scrutiny until the last minute. It was speculated that the winger would not be part of the team, and in fact, the player was part of La Tri’s last friendly match against Iraq. Finally, Alvaro chose not to take the player who will be witnessing the World Cup away from Qatar.

Other players who have been disqualified are:

Junior Sornosa, 10th from Independiente del Valle. He was a key player in his squad for his club’s LigaPro titles in 2021, the Copa América 2022 and the Copa Ecuador 2022. In the Qatar 2022 qualifiers he was a substitute in the two matches against Chile and Uruguay.

Leonardo Campana from Inter Miami. In this last term, he converted 11 goals in 26 NBA games. He played one game during the tie: five minutes before Uruguay in Quito.

Jordi Caicedo of Tigres de Mexico scored 9 goals in the last season. With the national team, he scored a goal against Paraguay in the qualifiers and a goal against Cape Verde in a friendly match. This year he played 38 matches.

Damien Diaz: Tenth for Barcelona, ​​he played only one qualifying match with Ecuador: in the defeat against Peru in Quito. However, he is the most distinguished player for his club in the LigaPro.

Alexander Alvarado: Midfielder outside the University Athletic League. He played 27 of 30 LigaPro dates and scored 10 goals. He was only called up for two friendlies with Gustavo Alfaro.