The stalemate continues.
Breel Embolo (right) is not allowed to fly to the United States. EPA / AOP
Breel Embolo, a member of the Swiss national team, is still not allowed to travel to the United States and the soccer World Cup that will start there soon.
According to Swiss newspaper Blick, Embolo, 29, has still not received the necessary permission from the US authorities.
According to the news agency TT, Embolo was stopped at Zurich airport on Tuesday. The US authorities did not allow the player to travel to the US with the Swiss team.
Embolo had applied for an electronic travel permit, Esta, which, for example, citizens of Finland apply for a short trip to the United States. Embolo’s application went through. The Swiss had also played in the United States in the summer of 2025.
This time, after the approved Esta application, Embolo received a notification that his case was taken up for investigation again. He was not allowed to board the plane.
Background
BBCand news agency AFP, the reason for denying the travel permit was Embolo’s previous criminal conviction. Embolo was fined in 2023 for several threats he made during a night out in Basel in 2018.
The verdict is final.
The Swiss Football Association believed that Embolo would receive a travel permit by Wednesday at the latest. The association tried to ensure that the authorities would treat Embolo’s case as urgent.
The intention didn’t help.
– Embolo was the only member of the Swiss team who did not get on the plane that flew to Los Angeles. He transferred to the US Embassy in Bern. Instead of Esta, Embolo is supposed to arrive in the United States with a visa, Blick reporters Andrea Cattani and Christian Finkbeiner are writing.
According to Cattan and Finkbeiner, Embolo’s flight may be moved to Friday, when he could fly directly from Zurich to Los Angeles. With this, Embolo would very likely miss Switzerland’s friendly against Australia.
Embolo represents the French club Rennes at the club team level. He has scored 24 goals in 86 international matches.
Switzerland will play their first World Cup match on June 13 when they face Qatar. Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina also play in the same group.