Ghana World Cup fans seek asylum in Brazil: How the Int. media reported it
Hundreds of Ghanaian Muslims who entered Brazil as tourists for the World Cup have asked for asylum on religious grounds, police have said.
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Here is how various media houses across the globe reported it.
Ghana World Cup fans seek asylum in Brazil
Hundreds of Ghanaian Muslims who entered Brazil as tourists for the World Cup have asked for asylum on religious grounds, police have said.
Noerci da Silva Melo, a federal police officer in the southern city of Caxias do Sul, said on Friday that 200 Ghanaians had asked for asylum after entering Brazil legally to watch their team play in Natal, Fortaleza and Brasilia.
Melo said the Ghanaians were Muslims who were "fleeing the violent conflicts between different Muslim groups".
The justice ministry would decide whether to grant their requests, he added.
Vanessa Perini Moojen, of the Roman Catholic Church's Migrant Support Centre, said the Ghanaians "faced life-threatening situations back home" and "feel they can find work and better living conditions in Brazil".
The centre provided temporary shelter for the Ghanaians at the city's seminary and helped them prepare their asylum requests.
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Ghana finished last in its group, losing to the US and Portugal, and drawing with Germany.
Ghanaian football fans request asylum in Brazil
Brazilian federal police say that some 200 Ghanaians have requested asylum after entering the country on tourist visas to watch the World Cup.
The Ghanaians say they are Muslims fleeing inter-religious conflicts in their home country.
They have filed their applications in the southern city of Caxias do Sul, in one of Brazil's most prosperous areas.
Another 1,000 Ghanaians are expected to request refugee status once the tournament is over, police said.
The Brazilian authorities believe many of the Ghanaians are looking for the right to work legally in the country.
We have hundreds of Syrian refugees in the same situation”
Joao Guilherme GranjaJustice Ministry official
'Overcrowded now'
"This region - Serra Gaucha - is known as an area of full employment. It has became a magnet for foreign workers," federal police chief Noerci da Silva Melo said in Caxias do Sul.
"You go through the streets and you can see many Haitians and Senegalese selling pirate CDs and watches. The area is overcrowded now," Mr Melo told the news agency Agencia Brasil.
Caxias do Sul is more than 1,600 km (1,000 miles) away from the venues where the Ghanaian team played - the north-eastern cities of Natal and Fortaleza and in the capital, Brasilia.
The team, known as the Black Stars, lost two matches - to the United States and Portugal - but drew with World Cup finalists Germany. They failed to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.
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Ghana went home without a win and failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the World Cup
Brazilian legislation allows potential refugees to work legally in the country once they have filed for asylum.
The fact that the Ghanaians have entered the country on tourist visas should not be taken into consideration when considering whether to grant them asylum, a Justice Ministry official said.
"Asylum cannot be requested at a Brazilian embassy. The asylum-seeker must be in the country to apply," said Joao Guilherme Granja.
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"We have hundreds of Syrian refugees in Brazil at the moment in the same situation."
Most of the Ghanaian asylum seekers in Caxias do Sul have been given shelter by local Roman Catholic churches.
Ghanaian football fans request asylum in Brazil
BRAZILIAN federal police say that some 200 Ghanaians have requested asylum after entering the country on tourist visas to watch the World Cup.
The Ghanaians say they are Muslims fleeing inter-religious conflicts in their home country.
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They have filed their applications in the southern city of Caxias do Sul, in one of Brazil's most prosperous areas.
Another 1,000 Ghanaians are expected to request refugee status once the tournament is over, police said.
The Brazilian authorities believe many of the Ghanaians are looking for the right to work legally in the country.
"This region - Serra Gaucha - is known as an area of full employment. It has became a magnet for foreign workers," federal police chief Noerci da Silva Melo said in Caxias do Sul.
"You go through the streets and you can see many Haitians and Senegalese selling pirate CDs and watches. The area is overcrowded now" Mr Melo told the news agency Agencia Brasil.
Caxias do Sul is more than 1,600 km (1,000 miles) away from the venues where the Ghanaian team played - the north-eastern cities of Natal and Fortaleza and in the capital, Brasilia.
The team, known as the Black Stars, lost two matches - to the United States and Portugal - but drew with World Cup finalists Germany. They failed to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.
Brazilian legislation allows potential refugees to work legally in the country once they have filed for asylum.
The fact that the Ghanaians have entered the country on tourist visas should not be taken into consideration when considering whether to grant them asylum, a Justice Ministry official said.
"Asylum cannot be requested at a Brazilian embassy. The asylum seeker must be in the country to apply," said Joao Guilherme Granja.
"We have hundreds of Syrian refugees in Brazil at the moment in the same situation."
Most of the Ghanaian asylum seekers in Caxias do Sul have been given shelter by local Roman Catholic churches.
Soccer-Nearly 200 Ghana World Cup fans seek asylum in Brazil
(Reuters) - Nearly 200 Ghana fans at the World Cup have requested asylum in a southernBrazilian city over the past week and officials see the count rising sharply, according to a state news agency.
Federal police in Caxias do Sul told Agencia Brasil on Thursday they expect more than 1,000 fans from Ghana to request asylum after entering the country on tourist visas to attend the month-long soccer tournament.
Ghana played matches in the capital Brasilia and the northeastern cities Natal and Fortaleza before their elimination in the first phase of the World Cup. Job prospects have drawn previous waves of African immigrants to southern Brazil. (Reporting by Brad Haynes. Editing by Patrick Johnston)
From Associated Press (AP) published by Miami Herald
Ghanaian soccer fans seek asylum in Brazil
SAO PAULO -- Hundreds of Ghanaians who entered Brazil as tourists to watch World Cup games have asked for asylum, police in southern Brazil said Thursday.
Noerci da Silva Melo who heads the Federal Police office in the city of Caxias do Sul said that over the past week 200 Ghanaians asked for asylum. The Justice Ministry will decide whether to grant their requests and in the meantime, they are allowed to work and circulate in Brazil.
The Justice Ministry did not immediately comment.
Melo said close to 150 of the Ghanaians have left Caxias do Sul for the states of Sao Paulo and Santa Catarina where they have a better chance of finding employment.
Melo said the Ghanaians said they were Muslims who were "fleeing the violent conflicts between different Muslim groups."
He said they all entered Brazil legally to watch their country's team play in Natal, Fortaleza and Brasilia. Ghana finished last in its group, losing to the United States and Portugal and reaching a draw with Germany.
Vanessa Perini Moojen of the Roman Catholic Church's Migrant Support Center said the asylum-seekers "faced life-threatening situations back home." She would not elaborate.
"They feel they can find work and better living conditions in Brazil," she added.
The center provided temporary shelter for the Ghanaians at the city's seminary and helped them prepare their asylum requests.