Camps Bay Football Club
One of the mothers of the seven Camps Bay FC players who will be unable to compete in Sweden’s upcoming Gothia Cup youth soccer tournament after they were denied visas, has detailed the pain his son experienced.
“It’s the send off today and we’ve been crying uncontrollably.
“It is a few more hours until the team flies out and we clearly have no joy. It’s tough, but I need to be strong for him and remind him that life isn’t always fair and we have to keep it moving. We trust the situation could turn around but if it doesn’t, I believe that God has bigger plans for these young boys,” said Nombuso Mashangu.
The Swedish Migration Court denied the players’ travel documentation because their unabridged birth certificates did not contain their biological fathers’ details.
The club said it then appealed the decision at the Migration Court of Appeal, hoping for the situation to be resolved. In addition, some of the mothers of the teenagers obtained affidavits from their children’s fathers to consent to the trip.
“This letter seeks to appeal, on behalf of the minor children aforementioned, to the Swedish Migration Court to accept their positions which put them at a disadvantage due to circumstances beyond their control and that of their single mothers. These minor children are born out of wedlock. According to South African laws it is not compulsory to include the biological fathers of the unmarried parents in the child’s Birth Certificate.
“Furthermore, since these minor children are travelling without their parents, and their safety is of primary concern, the court (accorded) their Head Coach Mr Mogamad Anees Abbas, who is travelling with the children, full powers to exercise temporary guardianship. Secondly, the High Court has also granted the children’s biological mothers sole parental rights to consent to the travelling and application of their visas,“ the appeal letter says.
But they said they found out on Monday, days before they were due to depart for Sweden, that the appeal was denied.
The teenagers play in the Under-13, Under-14 and Under-16 teams.
Abbas told the Cape Times they were heartbroken.
“For myself personally as a coach it’s always an honour to showcase our team. However these boys have put in the hard work. They have been training for 18 months. For some it’s their first opportunity to travel overseas, let alone travelling overseas to represent their country in doing something they love and are passionate about.
“How do we travel and play as a team with the intention of doing our best and hopefully bring home the winning trophy with some of our boys robbed of this opportunity?
“I am devastated and can’t imagine how the boys are going to feel. We will just have to hope that there might be another opportunity in the future for them,” he said.
The Swedish Embassy did not respond to questions by deadline on Wednesday.
Cape Times