Enzo Romano, 16, said it was his ‘dream’ to wear the Welsh shirt again
A talented young Welsh footballer was “devastated” to be told he might be banned from playing for his country again because he doesn’t hold a UK passport. Enzo Romano, 16, was born in Cardiff to Spanish and Italian parents and grew up in the city before moving to Spain at the age of eight when he signed for the Barcelona football academy.
The family still live in Spain but Enzo has been playing for Wales at junior level for a number of years.
However, from the age of 16, Welsh youth teams start playing in international competitions overseen by FIFA, whose eligibility rules state that you must have citizenship for the country you play for. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.
Enzo’s dad Antonio Romano told WalesOnline that his son is “proudly Welsh” and wants to play for his national team again but the Home Office has rejected his application for British citizenship on two occasions, seemingly ending his dream of playing for Wales’ first team.
Enzo said it feels “unfair” that his “dream of wearing the Welsh shirt in the Cardiff City Stadium making my debut for my national country” could potentially be taken away from him.
The Home Office has agreed to reopen the case to review new evidence submitted by the family. Antonio said the teenager has turned down playing for Spain, Italy and the Dominican Republic because of how much he wants to play for Wales.
He added that Enzo has been “emotional” for the last two years while the family have been trying to get the issue resolved.
Antonio said: “He has said no to three national teams to play for Wales and so after he heard that the Home Office rejected his citizenship application, he was devastated.
“I’m fighting so much because I want to see my son happy. He’s proudly Welsh and he wants to play for his national country.”
Antonio said that the FAW have been trying to support the family with the application.
He added that the family have been given multiple reasons why the application for citizenship has been rejected. According to the Home Office website, in order to obtain British citizenship at least one of your parents must be British or have settled permanently in Britain.
Antonio lived and worked in Cardiff for over a decade and believed he had permanent resident status, but said that the Home Office told them he had not submitted the evidence to prove this. He also said that the case is being reopened to consider new evidence from the family.
Antonio said he is “hopeful” that they may receive news within weeks confirming whether Enzo’s dream of playing for the Welsh team again “will come true”.
After the family shared the news about the Home Office rejecting his application for a second time last week, dozens of people have been in touch with the family to offer support.
He said: “I’m so grateful for everyone’s words and support. It keeps me feeling more Welsh than I already was.”
Enzo now plays for FC Damm, a club which Antonio said regularly produces players which go on to play for Barcelona.
The Home Office has been approached for a comment.
Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.