MEMBERS of the T&T football team have all been granted National Interest Exemption (NIE) waivers to travel to Puerto Rico for their 2022 FIFA World Cup Concacaf Zone qualifier on March 28.
The TT Football Association (TTFA), in a media release issued on Thursday, expressed “its sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) and, by extension, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee for their assistance in facilitating the processing of the waivers for the T&T players.”
A number of T&T players and technical staff members would have been ineligible to travel to Puerto Rico due to US President Joe Biden’s proclamation regarding the current travel regulations imposed on non-citizens.
According to the media release, “This NIE waiver now grants our affected players the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico without being affected by the strict suspension of entry to non-citizens.
“This restriction is applicable to non-citizens who were physically present in a restricted country during the 14-day period preceding their entry/attempted entry into the US.”
The TTFA stressed that they are “committed to ensuring that strict covid19 procedures and protocols are observed, as well as maintaining the safety and security of all the players and staff.”