Ecuador will play Ivory Coast, Cape Verde and Germany at this summer’s World Cup, and will be able to call up one of Ecuador’s most high-profile stars after his suspension is lifted.
Moises Caicedo will not miss Ecuador’s first World Cup match (Image: Getty Images)
Moises Caicedo will not be suspended for this summer’s World Cup, FIFA has confirmed. The Chelsea midfielder nervously waited to find out whether he would miss the opening game of the competition against Ecuador in Ivory Coast.
He was suspended after receiving a red card in the final qualifying match against Argentina in September. Fifa would normally impose a one-match suspension for dismissal, but FIFA has decided not to enforce it.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and a secretariat made up of six continental football chiefs decided that sanctions imposed during the qualifiers would not apply during the tournament itself.
Instead, the suspension will apply to other international tournaments after the World Cup. In a statement, the game’s governing body said: “The single yellow card and pending suspension of one or two games will not carry over to the final.
He added that FIFA wants to ensure each team is “capable of competing against the strongest possible teams on the biggest stage of men’s international football.”
read more: Cristiano Ronaldo supports playing in the 2030 World Cup despite vowing to retireread more: Donald Trump admits he won’t pay exorbitant World Cup ticket prices that would hurt FIFA
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on our Mirror Football Facebook page
Another beneficiary of the decision was former Manchester City star Nicolas Otamendi, who was also sent off in the match between Argentina and Ecuador. Qatari defender Tarek Salman is also expected to feature in the international match, despite being sent off in October’s match against the United Arab Emirates.
FIFA’s decision came after Cristiano Ronaldo avoided suspension despite a red card against the Republic of Ireland in November. The Portuguese forward was handed a three-match suspension, of which he played in one, but the remaining two were postponed for a year.
He and Caicedo will be able to play in their respective countries this summer. Ahead of the tournament, the Chelsea man said: “This is a symbol of pride.
Ronaldo was sent off but avoided a World Cup suspension (Image: Getty Images)
“Not everyone can qualify for the World Cup, so we have to be proud of having qualified. Having said that, we know it’s a short tournament and we have to make the most of it. We can’t be satisfied with just qualifying. We know we can do more.”
“We are well aware of the quality of our ranks and are keen to take the next step so that the days when it was all about simply qualifying remain in the past.”
He added: “I don’t want to go into how far we can go, but what I can say is that we will savor this opportunity and try to perform to the best of our abilities. We will try to impose our game and give absolutely everything.”
“We all work hard together with our clubs every time we take part in international duty, which is really important as we will be able to hit the ground running as soon as the World Cup approaches.”
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive daily Mirror Football content. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
