He was voted the best defender of the first team last year and now continues in TPS for a third season. But Samba Benga’s start to the season was delayed by a missing passport.
Despite not being promoted back to the league, TPS have had their defensive game in good shape in recent seasons in Division 1.
One reason for that is the back rock Samba Benga, who after last year was chosen as the defensive player of the year in the series. Now it is clear that there will be a third season in Turku for the centre-back.
But the contract extension only comes now, as almost a month has already passed since the start of the series.
The reason? A lost passport – and slow bureaucracy in Senegal.
Complicated process to get a new passport
The club writes in today’s press release that Benga went home to Senegal in December after last year’s season. The trip was longer than expected when his passport disappeared.
– I lost my passport before I left Finland. In Africa I had to apply for a new visa to be able to get back to Europe, says Benga in a video released by the club.
– In Senegal, you can only book an appointment for a visa application on Fridays at 3 pm. During the following fifteen minutes, everyone who wants to go to Europe must book an appointment, so if your connection is a little slow, the appointments will go to others.
– So I didn’t manage to book an appointment for at least three Fridays. When I finally got an appointment, I gave the necessary information, but then it took them a good while to get my passport, explains the player.
TPS find themselves in the middle tier of the table after a lackluster start to the season. In the first five matches, there has been only one victory.
– Samba was definitely one of those from last year’s team that we wanted to keep. We had to work for a long time on this, now you can be really satisfied that it worked out, comments coach Mika Laurikainen.
