Dozens of people who came to Canada on visitor visas to watch the FIFA World Cup have applied for asylum.
13 World Cup matches were held in Canada and the authorities issued a total of 26,000 tourist visas for this. 50 percent of the thousands of applications were rejected.
According to Canadian authorities, 175 people have applied for asylum so far and will be considered under immigration and refugee laws.
Officials did not say how many players are among the applicants, but according to available data, 25 Ghanaians, 15 each from Egypt and Colombia have applied for asylum. Officials say the number could rise.
The Canadian government has previously warned that tourist visas issued for the FIFA World Cup are not a means of obtaining permanent residence or asylum in Canada and any request will only be determined according to the laws of that country.
