PARIS // Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier has been barred from Britain and will miss the club's Uefa Champions League tie against Arsenal on Wednesday after British authorities revoked his visa.
The French champions called the decision “incomprehensible” but Britain’s Interior Ministry said it was acting according to established immigration rules.
“Paris Saint-Germain is stunned by this incomprehensible situation that attacks the very integrity of the Uefa Champions League,” the club said on Tuesday, adding it was because of Aurier’s September conviction for assaulting a police officer outside a Paris nightclub.
The French champions made clear their anger with British authorities, especially because they said they were only informed of the final decision on Tuesday lunchtime, calling that “a flagrant lack of respect for the club”.
“After an initial application on October 18, complete with all the necessary documents, the British authorities had originally granted Paris Saint-Germain’s Ivory Coast international an entry visa to the UK on October 21,” PSG said.
“However, on November 16, his visa was finally revoked by the British Ministry of the Interior, who justified their about-face by citing Aurier’s conviction.”
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PSG, who face Arsenal with top spot up for grabs in Group A, said that they lobbied against the decision to no avail and were further angered by the fact that the final ruling came so late.
Aurier, 23, has not spent any time in prison, despite being sentenced to two months for the assault, and has filed an appeal against the decision.
However, Britain’s Interior Ministry stood by its decision.
“Mr Aurier received a two month custodial sentence in September for assaulting a police officer. 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,” a statement from the ministry said.
Aurier’s failure to make it for the Arsenal showdown is just the latest chapter in his colourful career.
He made a throat-slitting gesture to the crowd during a World Cup qualifier last month after his cross was inadvertently turned into his own net by a Mali player in an Ivory Coast victory, prompting a Fifa investigation.
Aurier also got in trouble last season after making derogatory comments about his then-PSG manager Laurent Blanc and other teammates, including current Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, on a social media video post. He was suspended for five weeks but owned up to having committed “a stupid mistake”.
The assault conviction came after he was stopped in May when leaving a nightclub in the early hours of the morning in the French capital.
The court heard that the troubled footballer refused to cooperate with police when asked to leave his tinted-glass Porsche Cayenne, which police said was incorrectly parked outside the club in an upmarket district of Paris.
Police said the situation turned violent when an agitated Aurier elbowed one of the officers in the chest.
In its strongly worded statement on Tuesday, PSG said: “The club has argued several times that since the player has launched a legal appeal against the criminal ruling, he is therefore entitled to the presumption of innocence, as any other person exercising their right to appeal.
“Paris Saint-Germain strongly regrets that the presumption of innocence has not influenced Britain’s decision.”
Uefa had also supported PSG in its attempts to get Aurier into Britain for Wednesday’s game, the club added.
* Agence France-Presse
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EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
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Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
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Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
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Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
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Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
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Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
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* Agence France Presse
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1st row
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2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
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Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
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Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free
Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Top 10 most competitive economies
1. Singapore
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3. Denmark
4. Ireland
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7. UAE
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9. Netherlands
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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