World Cup delay for Switzerland's Embolo while US reviews his travel document

ZURICH (AP) — Switzerland forward Breel Embolo was delayed flying to the United States for the World Cup on Tuesday because his travel documents were under review.

“Unfortunately, Breel Embolo is currently unable to travel to the United States with the team,” the Swiss soccer federation said, saying his ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) was no longer approved.

The Swiss were due to fly from Zurich around lunchtime local time Tuesday to Los Angeles before going to a World Cup training camp in San Diego.

It is the third World Cup where Embolo is set to be Switzerland’s first-choice striker, after 24 goals in 86 internationals.

“However, at 10:30 a.m., we were informed that his ESTA application had been placed under further review,” the Swiss federation said without elaborating.

It is unclear why the U.S. has concerns about 29-year-old Embolo, who had previous issues with authorities in Germany and Switzerland around the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was disciplined in 2021 by this then-club Borussia Mönchengladbach for attending a party with friends during a lockdown. In 2024, he was linked in a criminal case in Basel to buying forged test certificates in 2021.

Embolo did, however, travel to the U.S. one year ago with the Swiss team for friendlies against World Cup co-hosts Mexico and the U.S. On that brief tour, Switzerland beat Mexico 4-2 in Salt Lake City and beat the U.S. 4-0 in Nashville.

The Swiss federation said on Tuesday it was “in contact with the relevant authorities and expect that Breel will either join the team later today (Tuesday) or travel tomorrow and join the squad then.”

Switzerland looks favored to advance from a World Cup group including co-host Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup