Fiji soccer goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau has been refused entry to New Zealand for a World Cup qualifying match on Saturday under travel sanctions imposed by New Zealand's government since last year's military-led coup in Fiji.
A spokesman for New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters confirmed yesterday that Tamanisau had been denied a visa because his father in law is a member of the Fijian military.
Visas have been granted to all other members of the Fijian squad which will play New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday in a qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup.
New Zealand has refused entry to members of the Fiji military and their families under travel sanctions imposed since a coup last December brought armed forces commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama to power.
"It was only yesterday afternoon that a decision was taken that we will give everyone a visa other than the one player," the foreign minister's spokesman said.
"The goalkeeper was clearly covered by our sanctions regime. New Zealand is a sovereign nation which has the right to decide who enters New Zealand and who doesn't," he said.
Fiji has complained to soccer's world governing body, FIFA, over the visa ban, saying it will play Saturday's match at North Harbour Stadium under protest.
FIFA has stated the match should go ahead as long as visas allow the Fiji team to arrive in New Zealand by Thursday.
Fiji Football Association president Dr Sahu Khan said the New Zealand government decision was "grossly unfair" and amounted to "bullying tactics."
"I have written to FIFA to tell them we are playing under protest, and if need be I will take this matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne," Khan told the press.
The Fijians will be without their top two goalkeepers for the match after Tamanisau's potential replacement received a red card in a recent match and was banned for one game.
The New Zealand immigration ministry rushed through visas for the Fijian team when the World Cup qualifier was brought forward by five weeks from its original date of Nov.17, leaving Fiji with less than the one month period usually needed to process applications.
"We agreed to speed up the process because it wasn't really anyone's fault," an immigration ministry spokesman said.
Saturday's match is part of an Oceania qualifying series and is vital to both teams' hopes of progressing toward the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
RSS