Boro reject Alves ban talk
02 Feb 2008 - 12:31:14
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has denied claims that record signing Afonso Alves could be banned from playing for his new club.
The Teessiders completed the protracted signing of the Brazil international striker from Herenveen late on transfer deadline day.
The transfer saga had rumbled on for weeks after fellow Dutch club AZ Alkmaar claimed the 27-year-old striker had already signed a contract to join them.
The Dutch FA ruled that contract was not binding which gave Alves the green light to sign a four-and-a-half year deal with Boro, but Alkmaar claim they will take the matter to FIFA.
AZ chairman Dirk Scheringa said:"We have a water-tight contract with him.
"He really has a chance of getting banned from playing for the rest of the season."
However, Southgate is confident the signing has been completed correctly and that his new striker will not be prevented from playing in the Premier League.
"The only thing that can happen is there could be compensation between Heerenveen and Alkmaar," he said.
"The player has got international clearance and is registered to the Premier League so there's no way that (a ban) can happen."
Alves though in unlikely to make his debut in Sunday's derby with Newcastle United due to red tape.
"It's looking like Sunday's game will come too soon for Afonso. We're now just waiting for him to get a visa so he can get back into the country," added Southgate.
"He's got international clearance, he's registered, he's our player and it's purely now about the fact that anybody coming to work in this country needs a working visa.
"We don't think he'll have that before the match but he'll certainly have it by the early part of next week."