Leeds United manager Javi Gracia has been unable to train the squad since his appointment on Tuesday, reports the Daily Mail.
The Spaniard replaced Jesse Marsch permanently Elland Road yesterday.
However, Gracia needs a work permit as he does not automatically meet the criteria for one under post-Brexit rules.
He met with the staff and players at the club’s training ground shortly after being announced.
Unfortunately, he has been unable to take training or do any media for the Leeds website.
The former Watford manager is now at risk of missing Saturday’s six-pointer against Southampton.
The United Kingdom left the European Union in January 2020, and with it came new conditions to obtain a work permit.
The Leeds boss must be granted a governing body endorsement (GBE) by the FA to start work.
A foreign manager must have worked in a top league for at least three years, or two years consecutively, in the last five years.
Unfortunately, the 52-year-old does not meet the criteria. He has only worked in leagues defined by the FA as ‘top’ for 27 months since 2018 and not consecutively.
He was with the Vicarage Road club from January 2018 to September 2019. Gracia was in charge at Valencia from July 2020 to May 2021.
He later moved to Al Sadd in Qatar, but the division is not regarded as a top league.
An ‘exceptions panel’ is expected to decide Gracia’s case, which could delay the process ahead of Saturday’s game.
The panel consists of three persons who will decide whether he is of the ‘highest calibre’.
It would also be determined if he can contribute significantly to developing the game at the top level in England.
He is expected to get a permit, as his exploits with Watford should see the panel vote in his favour.
The Hornets reached their first FA Cup final in 35 years in 2019 during his only full season in charge.
