Ten Jamaican players denied US visas for Concacaf Champions League match | OneFootball

At least ten players from the Jamaican team Mount Pleasant had their entry visas to the United States denied for the Concacaf Champions League match against Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday, club officials reported.

Mount Pleasant traveled to Los Angeles on Sunday with a squad of 18 players, including five youth players, as the roster was decimated by visa issues.

Several members of the squad are from Haiti, one of 19 countries affected by the restrictive immigration measures imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

This issue highlights a concern regarding the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, since the Haitian national team has qualified, but the entry of Haitian citizens into the United States has been suspended by presidential decree since last June. Citizens from countries such as Ivory Coast and Senegal face the same situation.

Although athletes participating in major sporting events, such as the World Cup or the Olympic Games, are exempt from the ban, it was unclear whether the Concacaf regional club tournament was among these exceptions.

Mount Pleasant's sporting director, Paul Christie, stated that the visa obstacle would put the team at a competitive disadvantage as they prepare to face the 2024 MLS Cup champions this week.

“We don’t just want to show up for the game; we want to be able to compete, but we are not being given the opportunity to do our best,” Christie told the Jamaica Observer.

Christie stated that his club would not be able to field its “best starting lineup.”

According to reports from American media, Concacaf, the governing body of football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, has been trying to resolve the issues.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.