Colombian Footballer Receives 6-Month Ban For Pretending To Be Ecuadorian

Rinson Lopez is a 30-year-old Colombian right back who plays for El Nacional in Ecuador. This is noteworthy because for his entire professional career, beginning when he was 17, it was thought that Lopez was an Ecuadorian right back. This is also noteworthy because, like Chivas Guadalajara in Mexico, El Nacional have a policy of only playing Ecuadorian nationals.

So.

Apparently, the confusion began when Lopez moved to Ecuador when he was 17. Lopez admitted in a radio interview that he is actually Colombian and not Ecuadorian. He has been suspended for six months by the Ecuadorian FA. He can't go back to El Nacional because of the aforementioned "Ecuadorians only" policy, so he will need to find a new club in that time.

Rinson Lopez, “Me suspendieron 6 meses, prácticamente me quedé sin piernas para jugar al fútbol, pero bueno, muy agradecido con El Nacional, no tengo más palabras para decir... pic.twitter.com/uekQJqAbDL

— Área Deportiva FM (@AreaDeportivaFM) December 27, 2017

I think he should try to get away with the ruse somewhere else, show up in Bolivia claiming to be a native or something. It could be fun!

(H/T NBC Sports)