“It’s a shame”
Danish club Viborg FF have one of the biggest games in club history on the agenda: away to West Ham United in the UEFA Conference League qualifying round. However, Alassana Jatta (23) and Ibrahim Said (20) will miss the trip to London because they are not allowed to enter England – a consequence of Brexit. The duo was directly involved in three goals in the previous qualifying rounds.
“We are extremely annoyed that we didn’t manage to get visas for the two players,” said Viborg’s sports director Jesper Fredberg club page quoted. “We tried everything and were in close contact with the Danish FA, UEFA, the two embassies and another club that was in a similar situation, but it turned out to be impossible because it takes several weeks to process. The game was only scheduled a week ago.”
Since Jatta has a Gambian passport and Said has a Nigerian passport, an entry regulation for non-EU citizens that came into force as a result of Brexit applies to both of them. “It’s a shame from a sporting point of view because both players would have played a role in the game. It’s even more bitter from a human perspective because they’re going to miss out on this great experience.” Kick-off is on Thursday at 20:45 at the London Stadium.
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