Gaël Ondoua, a footballer with Swiss club Servette, and a Russian citizen, has been denied entry into Scotland for his club’s UEFA Champions League qualifier with Rangers.
Ondoua, 27, who plays for the Cameroun national team, made headlines during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar when he played in boots which displayed a Russian flag.
Midfielder Ondoua received no punishment for the move, and said at the time that it was “a sign of respect for the country in which I grew up, formed and received a football education.”
Cameroon were eliminated in the group stages at Qatar 2022, but did claim a notable 1-0 win over Brazil.
In a statement issued before the match, Servette officials said: “His (Ondoua’s) visa has not yet been issued by the British authorities, the player is absent from the trip to Glasgow.
“The significant efforts made for more than two weeks by the club and its player, also in collaboration with the Scottish Football Association, have not been enough.
“The club deplores this situation and supports its player and his team, which will have to deal without a major player in its workforce for non-sporting reasons.”
Ondoua’s absence left Servette without eight first-choice players for the first-leg of the tie, due to injury or suspension.
Rangers won the first-leg 2-1 at Ibrox, with Servette playing with ten men for the final 30 minutes after David Douline was sent off for two yellow cards.
The return leg is due to take place at the Stade de Geneva on Tuesday.
Ondoua has made six international appearances for Cameroun and has featured for Russian club sides CSKA Moscow and Anzhi Makhachkala.
During the 2017-2018 season he moved to Ukrainian team, Zorya Luhansk, but due to work permit issues was not formally registered by the club and left without playing for them.
He returned to Servette for a second spell last month, having previously played for the Swiss Super League club from 2019 to 2021, when he appeared 54 times and scored three goals.
—Insidethegames.biz
