Levi Rothermund
Switzerland forward Breel Embolo will not travel with the World Cup squad to the USA on Tuesday after his ESTA authorisation was placed under review, the Swiss Football Federation confirmed.
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The issue stems from a Swiss court ruling tied to a 2018 altercation in Basel that became final nine months ago. The Stade Rennais striker was convicted in 2023 of making multiple threats and handed a suspended fine. That verdict was upheld on appeal after judges rejected his account of the incident. Swiss media reported in April that Embolo had decided against taking the case to the Federal Court, making the judgment final.
“Unfortunately, Breel Embolo is currently unable to travel to the United States with the team. His ESTA authorisation had been approved until this morning. However, at 10:30 a.m., we were informed that his ESTA application had been placed under further review. We are currently in contact with the relevant authorities and expect that Breel will either join the team later today or travel tomorrow and join the squad then.”
A team spokesperson, speaking while the squad boarded their plane to Los Angeles, noted to Reuters that Switzerland had previously entered the US without issue to face Mexico and the USA, and that Embolo had been admitted to the country on those occasions.
Switzerland are placed in World Cup Group B alongside co-hosts Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Qatar. Their opening match is scheduled for June 13th against Qatar. Whether Embolo will be available for that fixture depends entirely on how quickly the authorisation review is resolved. Stay with TipsGG for the latest updates on the squad’s status ahead of the tournament.