Two footballer brothers from Ghana who had lived in Cyprus without a residence permit for almost three years have been deported.
The two are reportedly 22-year-olds Senior and Junior Tokou, who played for Xylofagou FC this season and had previously played for Othellos Athienou and Iraklis Gerolakkou. They originally came to Cyprus to play for a club.
They were arrested by police during a training session a few weeks ago and detained, after it emerged they were still in Cyprus without the necessary documents. They had signed a new contract with a football club even though they should already have left the country.
They were deported in recent days following coordinated action by the police and the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection.
After their arrest, the brothers made a public appeal for help on social media. They said they had come to Cyprus hoping to become professional footballers and support their families, that they had spent weeks in detention while their families worried about them, and asked for a chance to resolve their residence status and keep playing.
The deputy ministry has given clubs until 31 December 2026 to resolve outstanding issues concerning foreign athletes and coaches. Checks are expected to be stepped up from January 2027 to prevent similar cases and protect athletes.
