France
Paris Saint Germain defender Serge Aurier has been denied entry into the United Kingdom.
BREAKING: PSG defender Serge Aurier banned from entering UK due to ongoing court case.
Will not feature vs. Arsenal in Champions League. pic.twitter.com/C5fNxNehaw— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) November 22, 2016
The 23 year old Ivorian was stopped from entering into the country as the French club arrived in London on Tuesday, for their crucial match against Arsenal. PSG say UK authorities granted Aurier a visa in October bur revoked in on November 16, citing his conviction.
The BBC reported that UK’s Home Office said in a statement “The immigration rules clearly state that non-EU nationals who have received a custodial sentence of less than 12 months within the last five years will be refused on criminality grounds.”
The club now accuse UK authorities of attacking the “very integrity of the Champions League.”
PSG say the decision to ban Serge Aurier from entering the United Kingdom shows “a lack of respect”.
Read more: https://t.co/SF28GfnpsS pic.twitter.com/IwhwXdfVIv
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 22, 2016
In a terse statement, the club said “ Paris Saint-Germain strongly regrets that he presumption of innocence has not influenced Britain’s decision.”
Aurier had been given a two month suspended prison sentence in September and fined 600 euros for assaulting a police officer.
Arsenal and PSG which are locked together on 10 points at top of Group A table, will clash at the Emirates stadium on Wednesday.
The match is likely to decide which club will make it through as group winners, which could lead to a more favourable draw in the last 16.
