Ufa may have to forfeit its Europa League match due to visa issues.GETTY IMAGES
Russian football club Ufa "sensationally revealed" it will discover on Monday if it has to forfeit its Europa League tie with Scottish Premiership club Rangers because it cannot get a visa to visit the U.K., according to Mark Walker of the Scotland DAILY RECORD. Rangers face a "tricky encounter" against Ufa, "with a place in the group stages the prize." The first leg is at Ibrox on Thursday and that has "presented a major problem for the Bashkortostan region side," which is in its first European campaign. Because of the "short turnaround" from Ufa's last game, it does not have "enough time for the entire team to be issued" U.K. visas by the normal process. Ufa is "desperately hoping" for its application to be "fast tracked," but admitted it "may not be possible." The Russian club played against Dinamo Moscow on Sunday in the Russian capital and on Monday will plead with the U.K. Embassy in the city to speed up its application, "which usually takes a minimum of five days" (DAILY RECORD, 8/19).
