Boca Juniors centre-back Ayrton Costa will miss the upcoming Club World Cup tournament after American authorities denied his visa application. The 25-year-old player was initially part of the 35-man roster that travelled to the United States for the event, where Boca`s campaign starts against Benfica on Monday.
Reports indicate that Costa was linked to an attempted robbery incident in 2018. He reportedly accepted a probationary sentence related to the case to avoid a full trial. US border agents often deny visas based on criminal convictions.
A spokesperson for Boca Juniors confirmed his absence to Reuters, stating, “We can confirm Ayrton Costa is set to miss the Club World Cup with Boca. The defender was scheduled to travel on Wednesday evening but was unable to secure the necessary visa.”
Costa was a potential starter for Miguel Russo`s team in their initial Group B match, preceding fixtures against Bayern Munich and Auckland City. Signed in January from Belgian club Antwerp, Costa featured in Boca`s final match of the previous season against his former side, Independiente. With new signing Marco Pellegrino from Milan also regaining fitness, this development potentially clears the way for former Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo to feature in Boca`s first match in 18 years.