Visa issue affects Auckland City's Fifa Club World Cup preparations

Auckland City's Micah Lea'alafa. Photo / Photosport

A unexpected visa issue has affected Auckland City's buildup to Fifa Club World Cup.

The Oceania champions touched down in the UAE on Tuesday morning (local time) — but were without one of their key players.

Attacking midfielder Micah Lea'alafa has yet to arrive in the Gulf state, and the Solomon Islands international is currently stuck in Singapore.

There is still time — Auckland City's opening match in the Club World Cup against UAE champions Al Jazira is next Thursday (NZT) — but it is a less than ideal situation.

"We expected Micah to be here with us but something unexpected has happened with his visa situation in transit to Dubai from Singapore," said Auckland City coach Ramon Tribulietx.

"We are working very hard in the background to make sure Micah is with us at some stage before Friday or Saturday for at least three or four nights (before the match with Al Jazira)."

The 26-year-old Lea'alafa is a vital cog for the Sandringham-based team.

He has scored 17 goals in 34 games for Auckland City since his debut in August 2015, and has appeared at the last two Fifa Club World Cups.

But he has also been affected by visa issues before.

He missed the clash with the All Whites in Auckland earlier this year, unable to enter New Zealand after the Solomon Islands' association failed to secure his visa in time.

Auckland City had their first training session today, ahead of a friendly match with UAE Arabian Gulf League Division One outfit Al-Ittihad Kalba SC in on Wednesday 29 November (Thursday 1.30am NZT) at the Dubai Sports City complex.

The match with Al-Ittihad is veteran midfielder Albert Riera's 100th game for Auckland City FC.

"I wasn't aware of the 100 game milestone. time goes by very fast and I couldn't imagine playing 100 games," said Riera. "Playing 99 games is unbelievable and hopefully if I stay fit I can play a few more."

Influential midfielder Mario Bilen — who has missed Auckland City's last five games — took part in light activities on Tuesday in his race to be fit for the tournament.

Temperatures topped 25 degrees centigrade in a short but sharp late afternoon session.

"It is only our first full day here in Dubai and the game will give us a first taste of what the Arabic teams bring to the party in terms of their playing style — it will be a difficult encounter for us," said Tribulietx.