Rugby: after a long administrative imbroglio at the airport, UBB players finally authorized to enter English soil
Quick Look
Four UBB players, including Louis Bielle-Biarrey, stranded for several hours in Bristol on Thursday due to non-updated ETAs linked to their new passports, were finally able to join their teammates near Gloucester around 9:00 p.m. after the intervention of the club and the French authorities, before the Champions Cup match against Gloucester on Friday.
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Why It Matters
The UBB players were traveling to Gloucester to play the opening Champions Cup match against the home side, but were held up at Bristol Airport due to issues with ETAs not being updated after renewing their passports.
The wait ended after long hours of negotiations and stress. The four players from Bordeaux-Bègles, including star winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, stuck for several hours on Thursday in Bristol for paper problems on the eve of the Champions Cup match in Gloucester, were finally able to join their teammates in the evening, a source close to the matter told AFP.
Bielle-Biarrey, the third row Romain Gardrat, the left pillar Matis Perchaud and the Tongan right pillar Toma Taufa, as well as a physical trainer, Manu Espiasse, were able to leave the airport around 9:00 p.m. local and reach the hotel of the Gironde delegation near Gloucester, an hour's drive away.
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A problem updating the ETA
The four players and this member of the management were accused of not having an up-to-date ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization), an essential certificate to enter the United Kingdom. According to a club member interviewed early Thursday evening, their ETAs were associated with their old passports, which they changed this year, without taking the necessary steps to obtain new ones.
The authorities remained inflexible for long hours
The players and the physical trainer pleaded their good faith, the UBB struggled to find a solution in particular with the mayor of Bordeaux Thomas Cazenave (former minister of Emmanuel Macron) and the French embassy in London but the British authorities remained inflexible for a long time. A solution was finally found in the evening to allow them to leave the airport, without further details.
Bordeaux-Bègles, double champions of the Champions Cup, must face Gloucester at Kingsholm Stadium on Friday at 9:00 p.m. local for the opening of the competition.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey, best player of the last edition of the Champions Cup, is scheduled to start on his left wing while Matis Perchaud must start on the substitutes' bench. Toma Taufa and Romain Gardrat are not on the scoresheet for this opening match of the competition.
Open Questions
- What is the exact procedure for updating an ETA after changing your passport?
- Why did the British authorities take so long to resolve the situation despite the intervention of the club and the embassy?
- Will the players concerned suffer administrative or sporting sanctions for this delay?
