Boca Juniors defender Ayrton Costa will not be able to participate in the upcoming Club World Cup held in the United States. The 25-year-old player was denied a visa by U.S. authorities, preventing him from joining the team`s squad which had traveled for the tournament, starting their campaign against Benfica on Monday.
Reports suggest the visa denial is connected to an incident from 2018 where Costa was reportedly involved in an attempted robbery case. He accepted a probationary sentence at the time to avoid going to trial. U.S. border regulations can often result in visa denials for individuals with criminal convictions.
A spokesperson for Boca Juniors confirmed the situation, stating, “We can confirm Ayrton Costa is set to miss the Club World Cup with Boca. The defender was due to travel on Wednesday night … but did not obtain the visa.”
Costa was considered a potential starter for coach Miguel Russo`s side in their opening Group B match, followed by fixtures against prominent clubs like Bayern Munich and Auckland City. His absence, coupled with the recovery needs of new signing Marco Pellegrino from Milan, could potentially open up a starting spot for experienced defender Marcos Rojo, formerly of Manchester United, as Boca Juniors makes its first appearance in the tournament in 18 years.
Dominic Ashworth