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Red tape leaves Lyon's Semi Radradra stuck in Fiji – report

Fiji and Lyon midfielder Semi Radradra (Photo by Levan Verdzeuli/Getty Images)

Visa red tape has left Semi Radradra stuck in Fiji and he could now miss the start of the new 2024/25 Top 14 season for Lyon, who have a September 7 opener away to Montpellier. The 32-year-old midfielder, who moved back to France last season after a three-year stint in England with Bristol, played for Fiji versus the All Blacks on July 20 in San Diego.

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Following that game in the United States, he returned to the Pacific Islands but a paperwork issue regarding his son has meant that Radradra still hasn’t returned to France 11 days before his club’s opening game.

It’s believed that he thought he could travel back to France without a visa for his son but boarding was denied and a race is now on to provide the necessary paperwork. A L’Equipe report read: “Less than two weeks before the resumption of the Top 14, Semi Radradra has still not returned to France.

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    “The Fijian centre is stuck in his native country due to a visa problem for his son. The fault lies in a French administration imbroglio that is delaying the return of the Lyon player.

    “His son, less than a year old and born on French soil, is listed on his father’s passport, which implied that he did not need a visa to go to France. Except that when leaving Fiji where Radradra spent his holidays, boarding was refused to the son of the Fijian international.

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    “A visa was ultimately necessary. The application, which is transiting via Singapore for administrative reasons, was sent urgently but the processing time can take up to 10 days. Radradra will be back in France on Friday at the earliest but he is in any case expected before the resumption of the Top 14. An update will be made upon his arrival on his physical condition.”

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    Soliloquin 1 hour ago
    Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

    I don’t know the financial story behind the changes that were implemented, but I guess clubs started to lose money, Mourad Boudjellal won it all with Toulon, got tired and wanted to invest in football , the French national team was at its lowest with the QF humiliation in 2015 and the FFR needed to transform the model where no French talent could thrive. Interestingly enough, the JIFF rule came in during the 2009/2010 season, so before the Toulon dynasty, but it was only 40% of the players that to be from trained in French academies. But the crops came a few years later, when they passed it at the current level of 70%.

    Again, I’m not a huge fan of under 18 players being scouted and signed. I’d rather have French clubs create sub-academies in French territories like Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia and other places that are culturally closer to RU and geographically closer to rugby lands. Mauvaka, Moefana, Taofifenua bros, Tolofua bros, Falatea - they all came to mainland after starting their rugby adventure back home.

    They’re French, they come from economically struggling areas, and rugby can help locally, instead of lumping foreign talents.

    And even though many national teams benefit from their players training and playing in France, there are cases where they could avoid trying to get them in the French national team (Tatafu).

    In other cases, I feel less shame when the country doesn’t believe in the player like in Meafou’s case.

    And there are players that never consider switching to the French national team like Niniashvili, Merckler or even Capuozzo, who is French and doesn’t really speak Italian.

    We’ll see with Jacques Willis 🥲


    But hey, it’s nothing new to Australia and NZ with PI!

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