Visa Hitch Disrupts Remo Stars’ Trip For CAF Champions League Clash With Sundowns

Remo Stars’ plans for their CAF Champions League return leg against Mamelodi Sundowns have encountered a setback after the South African Consulate General in Lagos delayed the team’s visas, throwing their travel schedule into confusion.

Reports from Sports Village Square indicate that despite submitting visa applications well ahead of time, Remo Stars received approvals for only a few members, forcing them to cancel their original travel arrangements.

Club officials confirmed that out of the 43 visa applications submitted on October 10, nine days before last Sunday’s first leg in Abeokuta, only 11 were initially approved. The number was later raised to 26, but just 12 of them were players.

As a result, Remo Stars had no choice but to cancel their early Thursday morning flight with Air Tanzania and their hotel bookings in South Africa.

Officials within the club voiced concern that the delay could be an attempt to frustrate their participation in the competition’s second leg, coming shortly after Sundowns’ emphatic 5-1 win in the first fixture.

This situation is a repetition of what happened in September 2024, when Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigers basketball team were reportedly denied visas by the South African Consulate in Abuja, preventing them from honouring an international event.

With the decisive match just days away, Remo Stars are racing against time to secure the remaining travel documents.

At the time of writing, the reigning NPFL champions have not publicly reacted to the development.