Former member of CONI committee Franco Chimenti says Italy still have a chance to play in the World Cup if Ecuador are banned: ‘It’s more concrete than what people think.’

The Azzurri incredibly failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second successive time after losing 1-0 against North Macedonia in the playoff semifinals in March.

However, Franco Chimenti, the current president of Italy’s Golf Federation and a former member of the CONI committee, sees a concrete chance for the Azzurri to play in Qatar in November.

“There is still a chance to see Italy at the World Cup and it’s more concrete than what people think,” he told GR Parlamento, as quoted by La Repubblica.

“Apparently, Ecuador have used a player who was not allowed to be on the pitch and could pay for it.

“If it happens, another country should replace them and the FIFA rules state that the highest country in the FIFA ranking should be recalled, at the moment, it is Italy.”

Last week, FIFA announced they were officially looking into allegations made by the Chilean FA that Ecuador falsified the documents of player Byron Castillo.

‘Be serious’ Infantino reacts to Italy’s 2022 World Cup recall

Castillo played eight matches throughout qualifying – including twice against Chile, who failed to reach the World Cup, and Ecuador picked up four points against La Roja.

According to La Repubblica, FIFA could take two different decisions. Ecuador could lose the points gained from matches in which Castillo featured, allowing Chile to finish above in the qualification group.

However, the other option is to exclude Ecuador and give the pass for the World Cup to another country. In this case, the Azzurri would have a chance, being the highest team in the FIFA ranking at the moment.

It must be noted that FIFA President Infantino played down reports that Italy could be recalled for the 2022 World Cup. ‘Please, be serious,’ he told journalists on his latest visit to Florence.

 

34 thought on “‘Italy still have a chance to play in the World Cup’”
  1. It would be great but I cannot see it happening that a European team would replace a South American team that has been kicked out. Even if that happened, I can see Chile appealing and it going to the courts!

  2. Do we deserve to be there when we didn’t qualify? No. We couldn’t even beat North Macedonia. Give the spot to Peru who finished 2 points below them, and allow Colombia to go into the inter continental play offs instead.

  3. Even if it is the case that the highest ranking team is recalled, it’s a terrible rule. It should go to whoever lost out at the expense of the cheating team, even if that means having a play-off where there isn’t any one team that lost out.

  4. This is not about whether Italy deserve to go to the World Cup. It’s about rules being broken and the next team, according to FIFA’s rules, taking their place!
    Denmark did it 1992.
    Poland benefited with a bye just recently. It happens.

  5. Up until a few years ago if you threw the management of UEFA or FIFA a few bobbtheybwould sort out such things for you. Unfortunately- “No soup (or world cup) for you!”

  6. Denmark took the place in 1992 when someone else in their region was kicked out. Same with Poland. Anyone who thinks Italy deserve to be going instead another South American team, wake the eff up.

  7. Denmark won euros. They didn’t qualify for the tournament but was put in so to the Yugoslav break up. It happens. Rules are rules

  8. Hahaha not getting my hopes up. whether deserve or not deserve is another thing. Long way to go.. unless Italy willing to pay FIFA .( yes, we know how much you love money FIFA) 🙂

  9. No chance. And anyway Chile should qualify in that case. Could you imagine the barrage of vitriol from little englanders and our ‘cousins’ in Germany and France if Italy qualified through the ‘back door’? Give it up – instead beat Argentina in the inaugural finalissima in London and that will do for this year..

  10. Haha can you imagine, we play in it and win it. Be brilliant. If those are the rules it’s not possible.

    FIFA will get lucky as they want the European champions there. Also, it would make up for the strange rule that euro and continental champions do not get automatic place for winning their respective tournaments.

    The World Cup is the tournament of the best, which includes current worldwide champions.

    Ever major club league abs tournament in Europe builds towards the champions league, win it you go to the club World Cup. The same applies around the world. International football is lagging in that respect.

    Irrespective of all that happened, there should be perks of winning your continental tournament.

    Also, UEFA messed up allowing Portugal and Italy on the same side of the draw, it was illogical anyway based on ranking the playoff teams based on points etc in the qualifying.

    Playoffs at club level and even in international tournaments always put the weakest against strongest based on positioning and don’t have a random draw.

    Had that been a consideration Italy (3) would have been placed on the side of Russia (4) in the seeds. And we all know how Poland benefited from that by beating Sweden.

    It would have put Portugal (1 in the playoff table) on the side of Wales (6). Then Scotland (2) on the side of Sweden (5).

    That would have been fair, positioning was relevant on the one hand, yet not on the other, totally illogical plus home advantages for the finals were dumbfounded. Unless of course it favoured positioning so the top 3 seeds in the qualifying table 1 Portugal 2 Scotland 3 Italy took the advantage.

    Whatever we say UEFA messed up on this crazy new format created for the biggest tournament in world football.

    Sure no excuses and a lot of poor luck went with that for Italy – Chiesa Spina, Jorginho misses, poor management etc. all that aside the path should have been automatic or at the very least based on a systematic fair approach.

  11. Please how many more times do you want to stab the dagger into our hearts?? Italy did not qualify. Full stop. What the hell does the president of the Italy GOLF president know about what’ FIFA are thinking about doing. The faster we accept this crappy outcome and take steps to fixing it the better it is for all calcio tifosi.

  12. People just don’t understand that this Azzurri team needs to die and be totally overhauled, even if they go to the WC they will not be good enough, they need to pay for the sin of failure if not the team will continue to stumble, people like Insigne, Jorgingho, Chelieni, Bonucci , need to leave for that team to be well…

  13. I’m with Rosario and Milan141. Italy doesn’t deserve to be there and it’s the other teams in CONMEBOL that suffered from Ecuador’s rule breaking. In a way it would actually be shameful for Italy to participate in this way. Ecuador should be excluded and the teams below them allowed to move up a spot.

  14. @Rosario I’m Italian, you tool! But I’m happy to take the Euros which we deserved after properly qualifying for it and being the better team on the pitch. For the World Cup, we shouldn’t be there. We lost it against Switzerland, missing 2 penalties. We pay for that by not qualifying and it’s right that we focus ahead for the next Euros. All this paper talk helps no-one in the Italian team.

  15. Why do you guys keep writing these tall tales? Write the story if it happens, stop giving people false hope.

  16. Good luck on that illusion!

    I guess you have nothing else to write about! The ship has sailed on Italy and the next world cup!

  17. @MarC
    I thoroughly enjoyed the thesis as I wolfed down a milles feuilles.
    The thing about its wrapper is you have to peel the top off like a a banana and take bite sizes only. But the think that gets me is the creamy part is always wasted and stuck on the wrapper so I scoop it up with a teaspoon, I suppose you can you your pinky fingernail. Nonsense dribble about a candy wrapper yeah ’cause when Italy gets da spot I’ll only believe it then. And if they make it they better remove some of the stooges in there.

  18. Even if it somehow came to Italy being placed in a spot, the federation should decline. They don’t deserve a spot and everyone knows it.

  19. Whoever commented about the supposed flawed Playoff and mentioned Portugal as proof. Keep in mind that Italy got eliminated by North Macedonia, not Portugal.

    Should have converted those chances, Jorginho shouldn’t have stopped running and raised his arm, and Donnarumma should have stopped that shot with ease.

  20. Stop this!
    Fire Mancini and get PhD Max in charge of the Italy NT. He can show Infantino his big bamboo and get Italy in the World Cup. Having said that, my personal World Cup is the jock strap that PhD Max makes for me with his tongue.

  21. Both Chile and Italy do not make the World Cup. It does not matter that Ecuador committed an administrative error, Chile had many chances to make it ahead of Ecuador and ahead others. If Ecuador is expelled from the World Cup it would mean there is only room for one team that unqualified their way into the big event, shameful as it seems, and FIFA should follow the rulebook as it was designed to be unbias. Overall FIFA should not expel Ecuador, they can impose a penalty for 2026 such that their standing in qualification if tied with another club in points they will concede all tie breakers, so the other club is ranked higher, also if they fail to qualify directly and have to go to a playoff they will concede the playoff spot to the team directly below them.

  22. this world cup is such a sham and disaster… technically Wales Scotland Ukraine still haven’t even qualified. Russia was canceled cultured yet Ukraine who is in no means thinking of a world cup have much bigger things to worry about are still in ? the europe playoffs should have been redrawn minus Russia and Ukraine with either Italy and Portugal getting byes or 2 top 2nd place point winners in their group. i cant stand how FIFA keep tinkering with something that already works to make it worse for fans.
    as far as the Ecuador situation if they have broken a rule thats worthy of disqualification then the spot should go to next South American team, or just give the win to New Zealand or Australia if its a playoff SA v Oceanic.
    Italy dont deserve to be in since they blew 4 easy chances.

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