New hope for Bangura as Watford allowed to apply for work permit

The 19-year-old was refused leave to stay in the UK last week and was set to be deported to his native Sierra Leone. But after a meeting with Home Office minister Liam Byrne the club have been handed the option of applying for a work permit.

Labour MP Claire Ward - who brokered the meeting and has been a staunch supporter of Bangura's case - said: "We've been offered another avenue which we hope will allow Al to remain in the country.

"Liam Byrne has given a concession which will allow Watford Football Club to apply for a work permit for Al and for Al to remain in the country while that happens. This is exceptional news."

Bangura's chances of attaining a work permit would normally be slim as he is uncapped and Sierra Leone are outside the top 70 nations in FIFA's rankings.

But Ward hopes that the inclusion of members of the football world on a panel will help his case.

She said: "Because Al wouldn't qualify automatically for a work permit his case will be considered by an independent panel which will include members of the Home Office and members of the football world.

"They will consider his track record and what he brings to the game and then recommend to the Home Office whether he should be allowed to stay.

"At the same time the lawyers will be submitting Al's appeal through the legal process to the tribunal's decision so we have two ways now to sort this out.

"We have moved a step further and it's a matter now for the panel to judge the sort of things that Watford fans have been seeing over the last few seasons which is just how good Al is."

Watford chairman Graham Simpson was relieved to hear the news but admitted that the saga "is not over yet."

Bangura has yet to feature in the league this season after a succession of injuries but made 16 appearances in the Premier League last season as the Hornets were relegated.

He arrived in the UK at the age of 15 and made his debut for the Hornets as a 17-year-old in April 2005 and Simpson believes he has a special talent.

Simpson told Sky Sports News: "It's not over yet but we are very hopeful that we can now find a way through.

"It's a positive move forward and we are very hopeful for Al.

"He is a special case because he is is a highly skilled individual who has a great talent and if you send him back to the country where he has come from then he will be unable to use that talent and that is a great shame.

"He has a fiancee here with a young child and if he goes out of this country then the state will have to pay to look after them. Al is quite capable of doing that if he stays here.

"He has had great hardship which has been well documented and he is part of the Watford family.

"We support him and we are all in this together and hopefully this will be resolved in the next few weeks."