David Obua stuck at Budapest airport after visa mix-up

Published Date: 28 July 2011
By Barry Anderson
in Székesfehérvár, Hungary
DAVID Obua's participation in Hearts' Europa League qualifying match against Paksi is again in serious doubt after he missed last night's final training session while trapped by more red tape at Budapest airport.
The Ugandan midfielder touched down in Hungary arouund 6pm last night after renewing his passport in London and obtaining what he believed was the correct visa to enter the country. However, as he attempted to pass through immigration, he was informed that his documentation was not sufficient.

That caused him to miss training at the Sostoi Stadium in Székesfehérvár, leaving the Hearts manager Jim Jefferies with a dilemma over whether to start with a player who has not trained with his colleagues before the game.

Obua's passport is sufficient but the visa obtained in London is understood to be incorrect. Last night European Union officials were discussing the matter with Hungarian police before deciding whether Obua would be allowed to join the team.

"I don't think they've given him a proper visa, it's just a pass,
so we're trying to fix it," said Jefferies last night. "I would have liked to have had him for this training session. We'll have to see what frame of mind he's in after rushing about for two days. That might have an influence on whether or not we play him.

"He played so well on Saturday and he stood out in pre-season. He seemed to get on the ball, he was instrumental in setting up attacks and the rest of the players responded. We'll have to see because he's not trained."

Paksi coach Karoly Kis is expecting Hearts to provide a mix of British style with a touch of flair. "Hearts are a good team, we know all about the players. We know their squad, we know they have a very good left-back and good foreign players but we have prepared for them," he said. "We watched their game against Rangers and we looked at the style they played.

"You can talk about the British style, power, aerial football and winning the headers but Hearts also have those players that can improvise, can do something different and turn a game. It's not just about style."

After defeating Norwegian club Tromso on a 4-1 aggregate, Paksi have become a surprise package in what is their first European adventure. "Last week's result in Norway has given us a lot of motivation and we can see anything is possible. We go into the match positively," said Kis.

"It's a great experience for us and it's also a massive trial for us, we're learning. We also respect Scottish football a lot here in Hungry, we know a lot of good managers and players have come from Scotland. We're really looking forward to the game. We'll give everything to cause a surprise.

"This is the biggest game in the club's history but the same was said before the match against Tromso. Now we've gone one round further and it makes it even more special."

Taken from the Scotsman