In the lead-up to the World Cup, the Trump administration’s hardline stance on immigration and international tourism had teams concerned about actually traveling to America for the tournament. And with eight days until the opening match, we’re already seeing why.
Switzerland striker Breel Embolo did not travel to Los Angeles with the rest of the team this week after learning that his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) was changed from “approved” to pending further review.
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Embolo — who plays for Rennes in France‘s Ligue 1 — is Switzerland’s leading active goal scorer with 24 international goals in 86 caps. So, his absence would be a huge blow to the Swiss if it can’t be resolved in time for the first group match against Qatar in Santa Clara on June 13.
The Swiss federation said in a statement:
“Unfortunately, Breel Embolo is currently unable to travel to the United States with the team. His ESTA authorization had been approved until this morning. However, at 10:30 a.m., we were informed that his ESTA application had been placed under further review.”
The delay likely comes from a 2023 conviction in Swiss court for making threats following a fight in 2018. Embolo paid a fine and didn’t serve any jail time. Embolo was able to travel to the U.S. last year for a friendly against Mexico, but his conviction was reportedly wiped during an appeal at that time. It has since been restored with the appeal’s denial.
Still, this incident happened years ago, and the U.S. authorities had plenty of time to review Embolo ahead of the tournament. The Swiss federation is confident that the matter will be resolved in time for Embolo to join the squad for Saturday’s friendly against Australia in San Diego. But this isn’t a great start.
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Two of Switzerland’s three group matches are on U.S. soil with the final match being in Vancouver. The team’s base camp is in San Diego.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Switzerland’s Breel Embolo is not allowed to enter the U.S. yet for World Cup
