~snip~
In the first place, I believe it is unfair for a whole team or a nation to suffer punishment because of the fault of an individual. An individual has committed this shameful act, and he is the one who should be punished for it, not the entire nation as a whole. It is very unfortunate that FIFA is even considering the possibility of getting Ecuador banned from taking part in the World Cup. As far as I am concerned, it is really hurtful not only for the fans of Ecuador but also for the whole world. I just hope that Ecuador gets a chance to play in the World Cup and that only the player involved will be punished and not the entire nation as a whole.
It's not really a ban. It's standard procedure in FIFA.
If a team fields an ineligible player, and FIFA finds out, they forfeit the match where the player was fielded, and the opponent is given a 3 - 0 win.
This happens all the time:
AS Roma forfeit game 3-0 after fielding ineligible player
Nigeria lose 3-0 to Algeria after FIFA forfeit match as punishment for fielding ineligible player
Fifa rules bar players from switching national teams once they have played a competitive international, and French Guiana had been informed of the rule before the tournament. The standard sanction for fielding an ineligible player is to forfeit the game 3-0
Bolivia forfeit two matches for fielding ineligible player
-snip
And so on.
As you see, it's a very standard procedure. If FIFA decides the Ecuadorian team fielded an ineligible player, then they will forfeit the matches in which he played, and give a 3 - 0 victory to the opponent. And if that happens, and you do the math of the qualifiers, then Chile ends up in 4th place, qualifying to the world cup, instead of Ecuador.
-snip
The player might likely also face legal actions in Columbia and/or Ecuador over forging of documents which is crime in any country, but it's still going to be the country's FA fault for fielding an ineligible player, and it doesn't matter whether or not they were aware of the situation, it's going to be a case of ignorance not being an excuse, I remember a case of Real Madrid being kicked out of Copa Del Rey some years after field an ineligible player "Dennis Cheryshev" in that year, he was supposed to serve a one match ban while being on-loan at Villarreal the season before, and meanwhile Real Madrid claimed they weren't aware of the players suspension, but that still wasn't enough as excuse to overturn to decision from the governing body.
@nullama
You are right, I did not know about this ruling earlier, and now that I am aware of it,
I think it makes sense to now hold the association accountable for the player's age and if he is doing anything suspicious or not, as he is the one responsible.
@Harkorede
The fact that you say that a player should be punished if he acts in any way suspicious of his age is absolutely correct,
but I find it quite sad to know that he might even be punished by his own government in his own country. \
A crime is a crime, after all, no matter where it is committed.