By Deadly Submarine
May 25 2005

Tranmere received an early close season boost on Wednesday with the news that striker Calvin Zola who has been out of first team action for six months is on his way back to the UK with the visa that he requires to be able play for Tranmere once more after being unavailable since November last year.

The news is a timely boost for manager Brian Little as he looks to re-organise his squad over the summer and it is fantastic news for Calvin himself who after six months of frustration, can finally get back to the job he came to Tranmere for – to play professional football.

 

Calvin signed for Tranmere last summer from Newcastle following a loan spell at Oldham Athletic and started reasonably well weighing in with four goals in League and Cup games before the long drawn out saga began in November.  The Home Office withdrew Calvin’s UK visa which meant that with immediate effect he could no longer play football for Tranmere.

 

Calvin was given a work permit to play football but this was no use without the visa and the club were told that in order for Zola to obtain the visa he would have to travel back to his homeland and apply in person.  This is something that Zola was reluctant to do for fears for his own safety upon his return to his country.

 

He continued to train with the first team as investigations began into what could be done to resolve the situation.  In March, the government, and in particular the Sports Minister Richard Caborn got involved in the case and Caborn visited Tranmere’s training ground to meet Calvin, Brian Little, Lorraine Rogers and the MP for the area Ben Chapman.

 

This created much publicity in both local and national press and sparked appeals by fans that was lead on the whole by this website.  A petition was created by Total Tranmere and within days it had amassed over 1000 signatures from fans of Rovers and from around the UK as word spread through internet sites everywhere.

 

Finally on Saturday Calvin flew out to the Congo after being promised protection and co-operation upon arrival there and today the wonderful news came through that Calvin’s application had been successful.  In a statement on the Official Club Website Tranmere thanked the fans for their support in this affair and Total Tranmere would like to thank everyone who supported the website’s petition that has surely added the pressure to get this case solved!

 

WELCOME BACK CALVIN and THANK YOU TO EVERYONE

 

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