Visa delays Banda’s Brazil trip
Felix Ngamanya Sapao, broker of blossoming footballer Peter Banda’s trials at South African club Orlando Pirates, says the player’s trip to Brazil has delayed as he is still waiting for his visa.
Pirates’ Project X squad left for Brazilian capital Rio de Janeiro on Friday without Banda but Sapao is hopeful the player could leave either today or tomorrow.
“His visa should be ready on Monday [today] and he will join the rest of the squad on Tuesday [tomorrow] in Brazil.
“South African passport holders can get visas upon arrival in Brazil, but with a Malawian passport, it has to be pre-acquired before the trip,” he said.
According to orlandopiratesfc.com, the Project X Tour is an annual event which was established in 2015, aimed at enhancing selected players’ development to produce players for the Orlando Pirates’ first team.
“Part of that enhancement of the football players involves travelling to some of the best footballing nations around the world. This year, the squad travels to the home of football—Brazil,” reads part of a report on the website.
Pirates want to use the tour to assess Banda who plays for FMB Under-20 League champions Griffin Young Stars.
The player, who also plays for the Under-20 national team, won the Golden Boot Award at the 2016 Under-17 Cosafa Youth Championship and was named Sportsman of the Year in the inaugural Malawi National Council of Sports’ (MNCS) Malawi Sport Award recently.
