Xavi Hernandez to miss Barcelona’s friendly with Inter Miami due to visa issues

Xavi Hernandez won’t be in charge of Barcelona for their game against Inter Miami this midweek according to Diario AS. The Catalan has been waiting for the United States to approve his tourist visa in time for his flight to Miami but it hasn’t cleared.

The game kicks off at 20:00 local time (that’s 02:00 Spanish time) and there’s no flights and connections that could help Xavi make it to Miami in time. Xavi hopes, however, that he will receive clearance at some point today and will then be able to fly to the United States first thing tomorrow. He’d then travel to Las Vegas to help his team prepare for their friendly with Real Madrid.

Until Xavi finally touches down, it’s his brother Oscar Hernandez who’ll take the reins of the first team. It’s not a huge deal ultimately, but it’s embarrassing that a club the size of Barcelona don’t have their papers in order until this very late stage.