Although the upcoming World Cup is months away, that has not stopped a fair share of buzz around world football's premium international tournament.
However, for one team and their fans, their hopes could end up going up in smoke - and all before the tournament even kicks off.
According to reports, Ecuador may be finding themselves in hot water with FIFA due to an issue regarding one of their players.
The South American nation are accused of falsifying documents for Byron Castillo to make it look as if he were born in Ecuador, but in actuality, the player was reportedly born in Colombia.
As such, if Ecuador are kicked out, Chile could be the team called in to replace them. Although some reports, especially from Italy, are claiming that the Azzurri could be the ones brought in due to their higher FIFA-sponsored ranking, it seems highly unlikely as FIFA would want to make sure there is balance at the tournament.
That means that indeed, if Ecuador are expelled, Chile could be given a desperately needed lifeline to feature at the tournament later this year.
