A FOOTBALLER is set to leave his Scottish club to go on loan to a team in the United Arab Emirates – so he can be with his pregnant wife.
Merouane Zemmama, of Hibs, and his wife Zineb, 17, are expecting their first child. But he has been unable to bring her to Edinburgh due to Home Office rules that state she must be 18 before she is allowed into the UK.
Officials at Easter Road
confirmed the Moroccan midfield star, who has been with Hibs for two years, had been allowed to speak to the UAE club Al-Shaab about a possible season-long loan.
A club spokesman said: "Zemmama returned to Morocco in the summer to be married to Zineb. Attempts to bring Zineb to Edinburgh faltered over a Home Office regulation, which prohibits a permit being issued to anyone under 18 years of age.
"The club has been sympathetic to Zemmama's pleas to be with his family, so a year-long loan to Al-Shaab, where he can be joined by Zineb, seemed to be a suitable arrangement."
Mixu Paatelainen, the Hibs manager, said he wanted the player to rejoin the club after his proposed loan was up.
He said: "Zemmama has three years left on his contract, but we are allowing him to move on loan. We want to support the players off the field and these circumstances are quite difficult for him."
A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed under-18s could not apply for a marriage visa to enter Britain. The bar is designed to combat forced marriages.
The full article contains 271 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
