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Ammon News - AMMAN (Jordan Times) — The Jordan Football Association (JFA) on Wednesday “strongly” criticised the actions of Australian airport authorities for the delay in allowing the coach of the national football team, Adnan Hamad, entry to Australia.

According to a JFA statement, e-mailed to The Jordan Times, Hamad spent several hours at Melbourne airport on Wednesday.

Khalil Al Salem, JFA secretary general, said that the Jordanian football association will ask for official clarifications from the Australian football body and will notify FIFA on the issue.

Jordan and Australia will play on Tuesday as part of Group B Asian 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

“The football association had completed all the entry procedures for the entire members of the delegation in accordance with the diplomatic methods and obtained the formal visas to enter Australia within the period set by Australian authorities and that the laws and regulations allow those carrying the right visa to enter without any interruption,” Salem said in the statement.

Salem said he was surprised at the absence of any representative from the Australian Football Federation when the national team arrived in Melbourne despite a bilateral agreement signed between the two associations before the start of the World Cup

Salem expressed JFA’s gratitude to the Jordanian embassy in Australia and its crew for their efforts in overcoming the obstacles and their contribution to solving Hamad’s problem.

The Australian authorities completed the entry procedures for all the members of the delegation upon arrival at the airport in Melbourne without any delays, but stopped Hamad for several hours and detained the members of the delegation in a room at the airport without any explanation.