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Ecuador had faced possible expulsion from the tournament after
Chile complained they had fielded an ineligible player during
the qualifiers.
They were fined and received a points deduction for the next
World Cup qualifiers but have been allowed to compete in Qatar.
The player, Byron Castillo, was left out of the squad to avoid
further controversy.
At Ecuador's opening game against Qatar, to kick off the World
Cup on Sunday, some among their massed ranks of yellow-clad fans
sang a homophobic chant against Chileans.
"The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has opened proceedings against
the Ecuadorean Football Association due to chants by Ecuadorean
supporters," world football's governing body said in a statement
late on Tuesday, citing article 13 of its disciplinary code.
Potential sanctions in the code include playing a match without
spectators or a ban on playing in a particular stadium.
There was no immediate response from Ecuador's football
federation. It has been exultantly re-tweeting images from their
2-0 win at the Al Bayt stadium.
Much to the amusement of many watching around the world, Ecuador
fans also chanted "We want beer!" in reference to a
controversial stadium ban on alcohol consumption at the
insistence of the conservative Muslim host nation.
LGBT rights have taken prominence during this World Cup, drawing
some protests, as homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.
Ecuador are joint top of Group A with the Netherlands whom they
face on Friday.
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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