Paris Saint-Germain defender and Ivory Coast international, Serge Aurier, will not play for his club in a crucial Champions League match against Arsenal FC on Wednesday after being denied entry by the UK government, CNN reported Tuesday.
The French club said they reported the case to the UK government and said Aurier’s awaiting appeal should render him innocent until proven guilty.
According to report, the PSG full back was granted UK entry visa in October, but the British authorities revoked the pronouncement because of the player’s conviction by a French court in September after being found guilty of assaulting a police officer outside a Paris night club.
The UK Home Office said in a statement that, “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”.
“All applications are carefully considered on their individual merits, in line with the UK immigration rules and based on evidence provided by the applicant.”
French Court fined Aurier 23, 600 euros in damages, with a further 1500 euros in court cost over the elbowing a police officer outside a Paris night club on May 30.
