Franco Cimenti, a former member of the Italian Olympic Committee, believes Italy’s chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have increased.
Last Wednesday, FIFA launched an investigation into Chile’s complaint that Ecuadorian footballer Byron Castillo had forged documents during a match between two teams in the South American qualifier for the World Cup final.
The Ecuadorian Football Federation was invited to present its position to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.
“There is a possibility that Italy will secure a place in the World Cup more than expected,” Chemente said in comments published by La Repubblica newspaper.
He added: “It looks like Ecuador has included a player who is not eligible and they could pay dearly for that.”
He continued: “If Ecuador turns out to be wrong, there is a rule in FIFA that talks about the participation of the team with the best rating, that is, Italy.”
He concluded: “Now it’s in our favor, these are the rules of the game, and we believe in it.”
Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row after a shock defeat to North Macedonia in the play-off semi-final in March, despite having won the Euro 2020 title less than a year ago.