Ivorian faced with deportation from Cyprus will not no longer be deported

An Ivorian national in Cyprus (south) is faced with deportation from Cyprus, over an expired residence permit.

According to report by Greek Cypriot media, Phileleftheros on Wednesday, former Omonia and Anorthosis winger Gaossou Fofana, 39 was arrested last Tuesday in Nicosia and is currently held in the Lakatamia Police Station Detention Centre.

According to Phileleftheros, the Ivorian winger was apprehended by authorities during a routine traffic check.

Delving into his records, police found that his residence permit had not been renewed since 2020, while he had outstanding fines rising to €1,700.

Consequently, Fofana, who is now a member of the coaching staff at APEP Pitsilia, was arrested and transferred to Lakatamia Detention Centre—a facility where individuals facing deportation are held.

The retired footballer’s lawyer, Kassandra Kouppari, along with the Cyprus Footballers’ Association (PASP) and the board of APEP Pitsilia are in contact with authorities to prevent Fofana’s deportation, who has been in Cyprus since 2012.

According to Phileleftheros, his legal counsel has already drafted a letter addressed to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou proposing a resolution to the issue. In the letter, she underscored the humanitarian implications of the case.

“Our client supports his family, including his four children, and due to his confinement, there is a risk that his family might struggle to make ends meet. Furthermore, it should be noted that fate has already played a cruel game with our client in 2014 when he tragically lost a seven-year-old child to malaria, who is now buried in Limassol. We kindly request that considering the profoundly humanitarian nature of this plea, instructions be given for our client’s immediate release. He has contributed and continues to contribute to the Republic with his exemplary character {…}, as well as the ethics and professionalism he has demonstrated over the years {…},” the letter writes.

PASP president Spyros Neophytides stressed that Fofana’s case is emblematic of a larger issue, highlighting systemic discrepancies about the adequacy of checks and balances that govern the legal status of foreign footballers in Cyprus.

“Unfortunately, due to inadequate checks by the CFA (Cyprus Football Association) and negligence from the clubs, some football players do not possess residency permits in the Republic of Cyprus,” former goalkeeper Neophytides told Phileleftheros. He added that “we have identified the issue in a timely manner and have taken actions, but unfortunately, the corresponding response is lacking.'”

On Thursday, it was reported that he will no longer be deported after a solution was found to the problem. Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou gave instructions for the residency permit to be granted to Fofana the moment he meets all his obligations.

He will continue his career in Omonia Psevda and have his residency permit renewed promptly.

Fofana first arrived in Cyprus in 2012 to play for Doxa Katokopias. He subsequently plied his trade for Anorthosis, Omonia, Ermis Aradippou, Othellos, Digenis, Elia Lythrodonta and APEP.

Omonia fans best remember him for a stunning outside-the-box goal in Moscow against local outfit Dynamo.

In July 2014, Fofana’s seven-year-old son died of malaria in the Makarios hospital in Nicosia.