Deportation delayed

THE temporary reprieve granted to Kathleen Poole, a 74 ‐ year ‐ old British grandmother with Alzheimer’s who was fac‐ing deportation from Swe‐den, has been met with relief from her family and the community.

On hearing the an ‐nouncement of a pause on her deportation order on Thursday, April 5, Kath‐leen’s family have re ‐newed their pleas for a permanent solution to the widow’s residency woes.

Kathleen Poole, who has been living in a care home in Sweden for 10 years, was told to leave the country after her ap‐plication to remain after Brexit was rejected. Al ‐though her removal has been put on hold until a new decision is made, her family remains fearful that the deportation could be ordered at any moment.

Despite being bedrid ‐den, having spent the last decade in a care home, and having no family in the UK, Kathleen’s appli‐cation was rejected in September 2022. Her family has been left con‐fused by the situation and has been seeking a resolu‐tion for more than a year now.

The family are currently exploring options includ‐ing making a new applica‐tion for a UK passport. Meanwhile, MP Hilary Benn has urged the UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, to intervene.

Betty Henderson

THE UEFA President, Alek‐sander Ceferin, has slammed the door shut on Russia’s involvement in European football compe‐titions until the war in Ukraine is stopped.

The announcement was made as part of a power ‐ful speech given by Ceferin as he was reelected as the chief of UEFA at the UEFA Congress in Lisbon on Wednesday, April 5.

The decision to ban Rus‐sian national and regional teams from UEFA compe ‐titions was made in Febru‐ary 2022 in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.

The current ban permits Belarusian national football teams and domestic clubs to participate in European tournaments, but their home games must take place on neutral ground, behind closed doors.

However, Ceferin hinted that UEFA could consider banning Belarus from the

2024 European Champi ‐onship if deemed neces ‐sary, but that decision would rest with UEFA’s ex‐ecutive committee.

Ceferin’s comments have come at a time of increas‐ing concern over the im ‐pact of politics on interna‐tional sporting events. The invasion of Ukraine has sparked a widespread boy‐cott of Russian athletes.

Ceferin’s firm stance on Russia sends a clear mes ‐sage that UEFA is willing to