Singapore finally grants Visa for Sunil Chhetri, Belal Arezou & Churchill Alemao

As reported earlier I-League side Churchill Brothers SC were set to miss club patron Churchill Alemao, India captain Sunil Chhetri and Afghanistan striker Belal Arezou in their upcoming AFC Cup match due to not being issued a Singapore visa, but today in the afternoon all three got their visas.

Churchill Brothers are set to play S-League side Warrior FC on Wednesday, April 10 at the Jalan Besar Stadium and the squad left for Singapore yesterday without their patron and their two strikers.

The club took the help of the All India Football Federation, who approached the Sports Authority of India to intervene and take up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs. SAI promptly took up the matter with the MEA and wrote a letter to Sukhgeet Kaur, deputy secretary, South Project, MEA.

After receiving the request from the SAI, Kaur got in touch with the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi and within few hours, sent back e-visa applications of Chhetri and Alemao to SAI; but Arezou being an Afghan national had to send more relevant documents but also got his visa.

Sunil had written on his Facebook Fanpage, "Just got the news that the visa has been issued,am flying to Singapore tomorrow along with belal n Churchill Alemao(owner)."

But in the end Sunil Chhetri and Belal Arezou left for Singapore tonight itself, while Churchill Alemao will join the squad tomorrow..