There was sad news for Janoi Donacien of Aston Villa last week, after his application to become a UK citizen was rejected by the courts. This has come as quite a shock as this 18 year old star will not be allowed to play any of the Premier League matches he had been anticipating, and he can’t afford to leave Birmingham for European games because it’s unlikely he would ever get back into the UK! It’s a cataclysmic blow to the young strikers career.
The result of this decision has affected not only the young kid, but also the other members of the Aston Villa club including the director Bryan Jones who was heard saying that if these matters are not sorted out at the earliest possible opportunity (in the court of appeal), there are very limited chances for Janoi to play football in this country. Jones has gone on record to say that the authorities should examine the case once again and grant permission so that the Janoi’s football career is not put on hold any longer.
The biggest surprise of all is the fact that Janoi has been staying with his family for the last 10 years in Britain and he still has to face such problems.
Donacien, along with his family, left St. Lucia in the year 2001 to settle down in Britain. 10 years later and the authorities still haven’t made up their minds. The fact that they have still not granted him a permanent citizenship is quite a shock and something which needs to be taken care of.
Its already started having an impact on his career – recently, Janoi was made to stay back at home while his other team squad boarded a flight to play for a European tournament. This is just the start and if this continues, Janoi might not end up having a prosperous career in Aston Villa or in fact any club within this country – probably not the right time to stick an online Premier League bet on him scoring (or even playing) any time soon.