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United FC players denied flight to England by Air India
Posted in: News & Updates, United FC by Kate Weersink on July 30, 2010
Toronto, ON—United FC was set to fly out of Pearson International Airport yesterday evening on their way to the Arsenal International Youth Tournament in England. However, due to some document confusion at the airport and a misunderstanding by Air India staff, eight of the players were denied access onto the flight.
Today at 9:00 am the team will be meeting at the Air India City Office to hopefully secure seats on a new flight before proceeding onto the British Consulate General to discuss the document confusion. The team hopes to be able to fly out this evening and meet the rest of the team in England on Saturday.
United FC knew they had a unique travel situation from the beginning. With the team being made up of mostly refugees, many of the players do not own passports from their home country but instead travel with Canadian permanent resident cards and government issued travel documents.
Coaches Mark Sinke and Leo Johnson went to every extent possible over the last six months to research what it would take to allow these boys to make the trip. After meeting with the British Consulate General in early May, they were told that a visa was not needed for any member of the team that possessed a Canadian permanent resident card as long as they received a travel document from the Canadian government.
“We are very disappointed. But what was most unfortunate was the treatment that we received from Air India employees,” says Leo Johnson, Coach of United FC and Executive Director of Empowerment Squared. “We were not even given the opportunity to explain our situation and were treated with complete disrespect when we had done everything right.”
The team’s flight, which was scheduled to depart on Thursday, July 29 at 10:15pm, took off with ten members of the team aboard. However, eight players were left at the airport along with Coach Leo Johnson, who stayed with the boys.
Korha Kpehe, a striker for United FC, shared his thoughts on being left behind. “Right now I’m just feeling really sad that everyone didn’t make it onto the flight. I really wanted to travel with all my friends. We’ve become a family and we wanted to fly together. I just hope we will be granted the chance to meet our teammates in England on Saturday.”
Comments
Where are you now..?We are praying for all of you.. please keep us update
Comment by Gladys Pardo on July 30, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I have faith and confidence that the rest of you guys will be meeting with the rest of your team mates in England. The coaches are excellent people that I got to know in a very short period of time including everybody else who has and is still working in the background (such as Sheila, Cristine and not to forget Cris). You all had worked hard together to come this far therefore all of you will be moving forward together.
Never allowed any obstacle become your obstruction.
Keep faith, know and trust that this one will also work out as everything else always has.
Comment by Phaedra Cirillo on July 30, 2010 at 9:38 pm
An update can be found in today’s Hamilton Spectator at http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/817555. Everyone’s support and help is greatly needed to get these eight players to England. To make a donation today, please visit http://empowermentsquared.org/united/donate/.
Comment by Michael Pett on July 31, 2010 at 9:14 am
This is a very sad news, I hope that it’s resolved and are all together in England, good luck to all.
Comment by Silvia Reynaga on August 1, 2010 at 9:57 am