Former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke says he was made to “feel like a criminal” after being blocked from entering the US.
The striker was about to catch a flight from Qatar to Miami when airport officials stopped him boarding because of an Iranian stamp in his passport.
They said without getting a Visa in advance he would simply be deported back to Qatar upon arrival.
“I couldn’t quite believe what was happening”, Yorke told the Sun.
“I have lost count of the number of times I have been to America, I love the country, yet I was being made to feel like a criminal.
“I had bought my ticket and checked in and was about to get on the flight when I was stopped by two officials. I thought “what is happening here?”.
“They told me there was a visa problem and a red flag had come up against my name because of an Iranian stamp in my passport. I went there to play in a legends match to open a stadium and didn’t even stay overnight.
“The two officials told me if I got on the flight I would simply be deported back to Qatar once I arrived in the States. I tried to explain I didn’t even live in Qatar and was just trying to get to my home in the Caribbean.”
In January, US President Donald Trump sparked international outrage when he introduced an executive order suspending entry to anyone from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
But Yorke was barred under a previous law which requires anyone from the same seven countries to obtain a Visa before entering the US.
Yorke’s Iranian stamp dates back to 2015 when he played in a star-studded charity match in Tehran alongside Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo.
