Barcelona disqualified from Copa Ecuador over ineligible player

Barcelona's hopes in the Copa Ecuador have been dashed not by their performance on the field, but by a disciplinary committee's decision. The team was disqualified after fielding Erik Mendoza, a player who had already competed in the tournament for a different club during the same stage, a clear violation of the rules.

Liga de Portoviejo, the team Barcelona had initially defeated 0-1, lodged a protest. The Ecuadorian Football Federation's Disciplinary Commission accepted the complaint, ruling that Barcelona had indeed committed an "improper alignment." Consequently, Barcelona forfeits the match with a 0-3 loss, handing the quarterfinal spot to Liga de Portoviejo.

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This Disciplinary Commission of the FEF resolves to accept the protest presented by Liga and declare that there was improper alignment by Barcelona with the player Erik Mendoza, who was not eligible for said match for having played for another club within the same second stage.

This disqualification compounds a difficult period for Barcelona. The club's president, Antonio Álvarez, resigned on August 5th. Last Saturday, the team suffered a 0-2 defeat against Macará in the Liga Pro, Ecuador's other professional tournament. This loss led to the dismissal of coach César Farías earlier this week. The team, currently fifth in the Liga Pro standings with 35 points, is set to play Mushuc Runa on Saturday under the guidance of new coach Pablo Trobbiani.

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Barcelona is sanctioned with the loss of the match with a score of 0-3 in favor of Liga de Portoviejo.