Visa issues force Shaw to miss Champions League qualifier

PARIS, France:

Jamaica's female superstar forward Khadija Shaw was unable to travel with Manchester City for yesterday's Champions League qualifier against Paris FC after the club failed to file a visa application in time.

Shaw, Manchester City's all-time leading goalscorer, was unable to travel for the first leg of the second-round qualifying match in France.

According to reports, Shaw was sent to the French embassy on Tuesday morning in a bid to secure an expedited visa application, but the request was denied.

City, Woman's Super League (WSL) runners-up to Chelsea on goal difference last season, have failed to reach the Champions League group stage in the past three campaigns.

The winners of the second-round qualifying tie, of which the second leg takes place on September 26, qualify for the group stage.

The 27-year-old Shaw was the top scorer in last season's WSL, and also won the WSL and Football Writers' Association Player of the Season awards following a stellar individual 2023-24 season.

- CMC