No US visas for 13 Maidens

THE preparations of Ghana's Under-17 team, Black Maidens, towards their 2014 Women's  World Cup (WWC) participation have been dealt a severe jolt after 13 players of the team were refused visas to the United States on Wednesday.

The Maidens, preparing for the March 15 to April 4 tournament in Costa Rica, have lined up a two-week training tour of the United States, but last Wednesday that plan was temporarily put on hold after 13 players and some team officials were denied visas for the trip.

Though team officials were tight-lipped on players and officials affected, the Graphic Sports learnt that most of the players refused visas were those who had no prior travel experience, while some of the officials who had travelled with the team in the past were also denied.

With no Plan B for the training tour, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has indicated that it will appeal against the decision on Monday to ensure that the team's plan is not adversely affected.

A source close to the GFA who spoke to the Graphic Sports, said the Ministry of Youth and Sports had provided supporting documents and will also involve the Foreign Ministry to be able to get the visas for especially the players.

"The coach has almost worked on his team and out of the 25 players going on the trip, only four will not make it to Costa Rica and that plan cannot be changed at this point.

“We'll appeal the decision and ensure that the players get the visas so the team can travel next week," the source stressed.

Asked if the situation was going to demand an emergency Plan B, the source said that decision will be taken at a management-technical committee meeting today, but “we remain optimistic that the US Embassy will rescind its decision when we appeal."

The Maidens are drawn in

Group B with Germanay, Canada and South korea. Their first game is on March 15 against South Korea