Ecuador manager Sebastian Beccacece has pleaded with FIFA to overturn Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo’s ban for their World Cup opener against the Ivory Coast.
Moises Caicedo hasn’t had the best of seasons by his standards, but even a disappointing Caicedo is better than most central midfielders.
Despite this, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding Caicedo and Real Madrid. However, unlike Enzo Fernandez, the Ecuadorian midfielder stated he wants to become a Chelsea legend.
Although failing to secure Champions League football could be the turning point for most come the summer, with Jamie Carragher claiming as many as six Chelsea players would leave.
But first, Caicedo and co have a World Cup to play in.
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Ecuador manager Sebastian Beccacece tells FIFA to let Moises Caicedo play in World Cup opener
Sebastian Beccacece said on Thursday, March 26, that the one-match suspension imposed on Moises Caicedo must be reviewed by FIFA, as it’s set to see him miss the first match of the World Cup (Primicias).
“Caicedo’s sanction was an unfair red card (against Argentina), so FIFA will have to review it to find out if we can finally count on him,” said the coach.
“It would be logical for the sanction to be served in the following qualifiers.”
The red card incident occurred in during Ecuador’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Argentina. Five minutes into the second half, Caicedo, already on a yellow card, was sent off after catching Nicolas Gonzalez with a stray boot in a challenge.
Because this occurred in Ecuador’s final competitive match of the qualifying cycle, the standard one-match suspension for two yellow cards carries over to the next FIFA-sanctioned competitive fixture.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has already been cleared for the World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared for Portugal’s 2026 World Cup opener following a rare suspended sentence from FIFA that effectively wiped out the remainder of his ban.
The situation stems from a red card Ronaldo received for an elbow on Ireland’s Dara O’Shea during a 2-0 qualifying defeat in November 2025. While violent conduct usually triggers a mandatory three-match suspension, FIFA’s disciplinary committee took the unusual step of reducing the sentence.
They handed him a one-match ban, which he already served by sitting out Portugal’s 9-1 demolition of Armenia, and placed the remaining two games on a one-year probation.
This means as long as Ronaldo avoids a similar disciplinary issue before November 2026, he is entirely free to feature in the group stages of the World Cup.
So there is plenty of scope for Ecuador to go after the same thing for Caicedo.
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