Kairat Almaty face visa concerns for Russian and Belarusian players

The Hoops face the Kazakh outfit for a spot in the Champions League group stage for a fourth consecutive season, starting with the first leg in Glasgow before undertaking a lengthy 3,500-mile trip to Asia for the return fixture.

However, Kairat face an issue with their Russian international defender Sorokin, as he requires a visa to travel to Britain for next week’s match.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the UK government imposed sanctions on the country and its citizens, and the Home Office delayed issuing visas to Russian and Belarusian Tennis and players for Wimbledon for several months, requiring them to sign a ‘declaration of neutrality’ to gain entry.

Kairat’s squad also includes two Belarusian players: Valery Gromyko and Alyaksandr Martynovich.

Kairat must now request special clearance for the government to expedite his visa, though Sorokin remains optimistic about being able to feature at Celtic Park.

Speaking via Daily Record, he said: “The general director of Kairat assured me that everything will be approved and the visa will be ready. I hope there are no problems with this and I am able to play in Scotland.”

The 29-year-old former Rubin Kazan centre-back is keen to make history as Kairat strive to become the first Kazakh club to reach Europe’s elite club competition.

Sorokin added: “It is clear that we are not the favourites against Celtic. But that is why it will be easier for us. We will fight and do everything to advance. And how will it turn out? Time will tell.”

“We want the world to sit up and take notice of Kairat Almaty.”

Celtic’s opponents have beaten Olimpija Ljubljana, KUPS and Slovan Bratislava along the way to reach the playoff round of the Champions League qualifiers for the first time in their history.

Conor Spence