By Deadly Submarine
April 29 2005

Tranmere have announced that increased media and parliamentary interest in the Calvin Zola situation, as well as pressure from Rovers fans through Total Tranmere’s online petition launched last week, has aided the attempts being made to resolve the case so that Zola can return to action for Rovers.

The Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn, who last week visited Tranmere’s training ground and met Calvin and his representatives along with Rovers manager Brian Little and Chairman Lorraine Rogers, has since been in touch with the Congolese Embassy and its Ambassador in England to help move the case forward.

 

Calvin has a work permit but had his right to remain in this country removed back in November, preventing him from playing for Rovers but still enabling him to train with the squad.  The row has rumbled on but now it would appear there is at least some light at the end of the tunnel although there may still be a long way to go.

 

After contacting the Congolese Embassy, Mr Caborn has discovered that there is a two-year wait for visa applications to be dealt with under normal rules.  However, the fact that Calvin already has a work permit for this country will most likely mean his visa application can be fast-tracked although how quickly that may be is still unclear at this stage. 

 

Mr Caborn has also requested that Calvin receives protection if he should still have to return to Congo to get his visa finalised.  The Tranmere Rovers Official Website states that “the matter is now in the  hands of Calvin and his agent who are completing the necessary forms and liasing Embassy and the Ambassador”.

 

Also on the Official Site Club Chairman Lorraine Rogers thanked Richard Caborn and the MP for Wirral South Ben Chapman as well as the fans for their interest and concern in the case.

 

Total Tranmere would like to thank everyone who has signed the Save Zola Petition so far as the total number of signatures reaches almost 2000.  It was a phenomenal response from football fans all around the country and beyond in the first week and has no doubt contributed to significantly increasing the profile of the case and the subsequent progress made.

 

On behalf of Petition creator and owner of this website, Ross Quayle, I would like to state that our delight that Ross’s hard work on creating the petition has paid off and would also urge anyone who has not signed the petiton to do so as there is still a way to go.

 

Many Thanks for your Support!

 

Sign the Petition - http://www.petitiononline.com/szc/petition.html