Bad news for 1. FC Kleve and especially for one of the club’s new signings from the Oberliga Niederrhein. The player is in custody pending deportation
Just a week ago, Oussama Toumzine was on the pitch at the start of training for 1. FC Kleve. But the summer signing may never be able to play for the long-standing Lower Rhine Oberliga club. This is because the Moroccan-born player has to leave Germany. He was arrested a few days ago and is now in custody pending deportation.
Background: The 22-year-old’s residence permit has expired. The plan is for him to return to Morocco. However, 1. FC Kleve wants to make sure that Toumzine can still build a future in Germany.
“He is simply the wrong person and has integrated well in Germany, speaks very good German and was due to start training as a dental technician on August 1,” explained board member Hans Noy in a post on social media. “Of course, the district of Kleve has only implemented the law here. But we are talking about a young man who has integrated well and is well on the way to becoming a skilled worker. We keep talking about the shortage of skilled workers in Germany, and now he’s being deported? That can’t be right. “
Toumzine fled to Germany from Ukraine in 2022 because of the war. He had studied dentistry there. In the Lower Rhine region, he joined SGE Bedburg-Hau. Toumzine was relegated with the club at the end of last season. However, with eleven goals and seven assists, the attacker ensured a personal promotion – he moved to Oberliga club Kleve.
Morocco is considered a safe country of origin
Now came the deportation shock, which Toumzine is fighting with the help of a lawyer. However, the tendency is towards deportation to Morocco, according to the FCK. After all, the North African country has been considered a safe country of origin since 2019.
In addition to 1. FC Kleve, Toumzine’s former club Bedburg-Hau is also campaigning for him to remain in Germany. “Oussama doesn’t deserve to be deported. He was about to build a life for himself here. If he were to be sent back now, it would all have been in vain,” head of sport Dilek Özden told the Rheinische Post.