Swiss forward Breel Embolo in action in 2018.
Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott
Switzerland striker Breel Embolo received a visa on Thursday and is headed to the World Cup, following a two-day delay in the authorisation of his travel to the United States.
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His visa for the US was approved on Thursday evening, the Swiss Football Association (SFA) confirmed. The striker is expected in San Diego on Friday, where Switzerland is preparing for the World Cup.
“We have just been informed that Breel Embolo’s visa has been approved. He will therefore be able to travel to the United States. He is expected to join the team on Friday evening,” the Swiss football federation wrote in a brief statement.
The Switzerland squad based in San Diego has a warmup game on Saturday against Australia and starts its World Cup programme one week later playing Qatar in Santa Clara.
Embolo was denied boarding of the team’s flight on Tuesday from Zurich to Los Angeles because his authorisation to travel (ESTA) was blocked at the last minute by US authorities.
They reportedly wanted to check about a case that involved a criminal conviction. Embolo has a conviction that became binding this year. He was charged after an altercation in Basel city centre in 2018 and his guilty verdict was upheld at appeal last September.
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The verdict was finalised in April, just weeks before Embolo was due to travel to the US for the third World Cup of his career.
The Associated Press said on Thursday that Embolo had been denied boarding of the team’s flight because his ESTA was blocked by US authorities who wanted to verify that the incident was non-violent.
To secure his entry to the US the 29-year-old football star had to go to the US Embassy in Bern to submit an emergency visa application. His application was “processed as a priority”, the SFA said.
+ How Switzerland became a footballing nation
Switzerland is scheduled to open the World Cup on June 13 against Qatar in Group B play in Santa Clara, Calif. Other members of the group include Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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