Brazil defender Alex was dramatically refused entry into
Britain as he arrived to negotiate his transfer to Chelsea. The
25-year-old was held at Heathrow Airport on Sunday while his work
permit status was investigated but had failed to make it through
customs after four hours and boarded a flight back to
Brazil.
He has played in only eight of the 14 Brazil games for which he has
been available in the last two years and, as a result, does not
meet the 75 per cent figure which guarantees him a work permit.
Customs staff asked him to wait at the airport while they made
further enquiries but the defender decided to board a plane back to
Brazil and take the 12-hour flight home.
Brodie Clark, the Home Office's strategic director of border
control, said: "We have a duty to ensure the protection. Visitors
to the UK also need to be aware of the presence of immigration
officers and that they will be subject to checks before being
granted entry to this country."
Criteria for work permits to play in England are agreed between the
football authorities and the Home Office. Chelsea have always known
Alex would fall short of the 75 per cent figure and have a hearing
set for next week, at which they will plead special circumstances.
Manchester United secured a permit for Brazil midfielder Anderson,
19, using the "special circumstances" loophole because he is a
young player who has not had a chance to cement his place in the
national team.
Alex, however, is six years older and may need to argue that he
comes from Brazil, where caps are much harder to acquire. Chelsea
said in a statement last night that Alex had been going to London
to discuss personal terms and not to start work, so he did not need
a work permit. Immigration officials can be forgiven if they were
confused by Alex's status. Chelsea signed the defender from Santos
in 2004 and immediately "parked" him at PSV indhoven with the
option to buy him back for a nominal fee of a dollar (about 50p),
an option they appear set to exercise.
