Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top

Kenya

Britain frustrates Kenyan footballer

LONDON, Feb 1 – Macdonald Mariga’s hopes of a dream move to Manchester City have fallen through after the midfielder was denied a work permit.

His Italian Club Parma had agreed to a Sh840 million deal for the box-to-box midfielder with the premiership giants but the British Home Office denied him a work permit on Monday.

The 22-year-old was set to become the first Kenyan player to grace the Premier League but his application was rejected as Kenya is currently ranked 98th in the world rankings, outside the top 70 nations as stipulated by the requirements.

Mariga, who has played 24 times for Harambee Stars met the criteria for appearing in 75 percent of internationals in the last two years.

The Manchester club can request another appeal in future but will not be able to register Mariga as a player in the current window.

A delegation from the club had traveled to the appeal, where a panel made up of representatives from the Football Association, Premier League and the Professional Footballers\\\’ Association, as well as some \\\’independent football experts\\\’ – usually ex-players – made their decision.

It’s the second time that The Home Office has dashed Mariga’s hopes after Portsmouth also failed to get a work permit in 2007.

He joined Parma on a permanent basis in the summer of 2008, after initially moving on loan from Swedish side Helsingborgs.

About The Author

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News