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The Hamilton Spectator: Coach goes extra mile for visas
Posted in: In the News by Kate Weersink on August 5, 2010
By: Carmelina Prete (The Hamilton Spectator, August 5, 2010)
A Hamilton soccer team of refugees denied a flight out of Canada to play in an overseas youth tournament are now set to arrive in England this morning.
It looks like a happy ending for the United FC team, whose coach drove from Hamilton to Ottawa and back yesterday to ask the British High Commission for emergency travel visas.
“I didn’t want to get excited until I got the visas in my hand,” said coach Leo Johnson.
The team scrambled to raise money for new airline tickets and visas after a misunderstanding left eight team members without the proper travel documents.
Johnson stayed behind with the eight players to help sort out the mess while the other 10 players and another coach made it to England.
Johnson said officials at the high commission were “very co-operative” and had the visas ready within a few hours.
“They knew all about us. I think they were paying close attention to our situation. I guess that helped. A lot.”
The group plans to rest for a few hours before joining their fellow teammates for a practice this afternoon in preparation for a game tomorrow. An outpouring of donations from every province in Canada helped the team raise more than $13,000 to help pay for the new flights and travel visas.
Johnson said the team lost their first two games but are “in high spirits” about reuniting and playing the remainder of the tournament, which ends Sunday.
“Thank you to the community and thank you to Canada,” he said. “The guys are truly grateful.”
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Read The Hamilton Spectator article here
