Switzerland's Embolo awaiting clearance to travel to US after visa submission

(Fixes typo in headline)

By Julien Pretot

PARIS, June 3 : Switzerland forward Breel Embolo is still awaiting clearance to travel to the United States after attending an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Bern on Wednesday to submit a visa application, the Swiss football federation said.

Embolo missed the team's departure to California on Tuesday after his ESTA travel authorisation was placed under further review hours before the squad boarded their flight to Los Angeles.

"The Embassy informed us that the application is being processed as a priority," the federation said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Breel and the team are now awaiting approval so that he can travel to San Diego and join the squad as soon as possible."

The issue relates to a legal case stemming from a 2018 altercation in Basel. The Stade Rennais striker was convicted in 2023 of making multiple threats and handed a suspended fine, a verdict later upheld on appeal.

The federation said U.S. authorities had requested court documents linked to the case after learning that the judgement had become final and legally binding earlier this year.

"The Embassy's inquiries focused specifically on whether any physical violence had been involved. This was not the case," the federation added.

According to the Swiss federation, all ESTA applications, including Embolo's, had initially been marked as approved before U.S. authorities requested additional checks roughly two and a half hours before departure.

"The Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws," Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Lauren Bis told Reuters. 

"Under the Visa Waiver Program, all ESTA applications are continuously vetted against law enforcement and