It wasn't manchester airport by any chance?

Will, Huntingdon, Cambs

Oh yeah.. I've had that as well. 2 Kids born in Britain, a mortgage, 20 years in employment here. And they still ask at immigration - " How did you get residency?.. Are you Resident still?" What a waste of time. Anyone can lie, claim assylum and get entry and the majority do exactly that.

Dave, Surrey,

Reply to Martin, Crawley, England Martin, why do you spread lie's ? Here is the truth people about UK immigration 1. people with indian id(passport) can't enter the uk without valid visa issued by home office(most visa's don't allow benefits eg. work permit, student visa) 2. most immigrant's can't get a house, benefits from govenment(it is illegal to do so). immigrat's are allowed to buy with there own money 3. government don't give cars to immigrant's ? 4. assylum seeker's(can't work because of home office law), refugee's(most are poor and no english) ILR(permanent resident-PR) and British citizen's can get benefits but even they don't get a car : ) 5. EEC are allowed to come to this country to live/work/study(EU citizen's) british citizen's are allowed to live in other EU countries also.
Alex could not get in becuase he said that he's going to play for Chelsea. playing is working. work is not allowed on a visitor visa. Alex must go and get a work permit like everyone else

Nick, London, U.K.

I had the pleasure of working overseas for four years on a work permit that was the responsibility of my employer to maintain. As I travelled frequently overseas it was a joint responsibility of myself and mainly my employers to ensure compliance with a variety of border entry requirements.
The fact that UK restrictions are seen to be restrictive should be seen as a strength not a weakness- the obvious fault lies with Chelsea for their poor administration

Mike, Manchester,

Dave from Notts doesn't understand that most football players only receive a nominal wage for the so called work they do, and pay tax on; the rest is paid tax free into trust.

Anna Naz, London,

Alex, you have taken a good decision in flying back to Brazil. The next step is to refuse playing in England...I think Spain is a better country for human beings.. Unfortunately we are not gods like the England people.

Fernando, Sao Paulo, Brazil

I live in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro and I really think that if i were Alex, i would not come back to England. This was a Stupid Racist Joke! We brazilians NEVER EVER had anything to do with terrorists. As i remeber the england police just MURDERED a innocent brazilian thinking he was a terrorist, right? So Alex can not enter... but Terrorists always enter? After this i will never go to England... i will spend my money in another country!

Rodrigo , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I am always amazed by the lack of charm and counter-productiveness of Customs posters at airports, vividly proclaiming how they will prosecute attacks made against their staff. Other badly funtioning, poorly organised and frustraiting services (like the UK railways), do the same.

Wouldn't it be refreshing, if instead of making threats of retribution against millions of (usually) very tired and stressed people, who've flown miles and just want to get home or to their hotels. Customs actually took the trouble to improve their service, open extra checkpoints, and speed the flow of people to the exits?

Even the notoriously unhelpful US Customs have posters promising each official will be courtious and helpful.

No wonder Alex decided the UK wasn't for him and flew home!

nick stanier, hereford,

Alex, you are welcome in so many great clubs in many great countries... You as a human being, not to mention your football, do not deserve that kind of treatment in a public place. Too sad that Brazil cannot offer you the benefits you would get in European markets... Stay in the Netherlands, or go pay your taxes elsewhere. I'm sure you would prefer to be in the news due to your football achievements rather than...

Danny, Sao Paulo, Brazil

I think UK Immigration officers are "RACIST".

Sam, Rio, Brazil

Well done people! You've managed to turn a debate about a single sportsman's entry woes into a wide ranging 'debate' about the entire immigration system. The xenophobia and borderline racism of some of the comments below are almost breathtaking. Yes, I feel sorry for Alex and he should be allowed in. However this case has nothing - NOTHING - to do with asylum seekers, immigrants or terrorists (or, indeed, Indians; Martin and Kevin please take note).

AvaitorDan, Birmingham,

Alex obviously came here to work and to be a taxpayer. Therefore we couldn't let him in. Heaven forbid. If he came here with his 15 children to claim benefits, the immigration Gestapo would of course have fawned all over him and given him a large council house.

We've gone mad.

Dave, Notts, UK

The biggest problem in most British offices is lack of wisdom - you don't learn this in university!! You either have it or you don't. Common sense would suggest that there is little need for a rich, beefy footballer to be leaving sunny Brazil at this time of the year to come and paddle in the floods here unless there was good reason for it!! My four year old daughter perfectly understands this!! This bloated view that the whole world can't wait to get to England needs revising!!

Gilbert A. Phiri, Swindon, UK

Why is that Manchester Utd. had no problem obtaining a work permit for Anderson, a Brazilian with only 2 senior caps, while Alex who played in all of Brazil's games in the Copa America is treated so shabbily by our immigration dept.
Conspiracy theories anyone?

Bob Pye, Oxford,

Just as well he isn't a Brazilian electrician.

Julian, London, UK

I agree with S. Ahmed from Cairo, what a load of rubbish.

This country has let people in who have no intention of working, even some who intend to cause death and destruction. Then we do not allow in a football international who already has employment guaranteed.

I wonder what would happen if many of the eastern bloc people arrive at heathrow and are questioned for 4 hours?, or are they just waved through to join the masses who cannot find work and just claim benefits from tax payers.

nick cripps, sutton, surrey

Sorry but some of you guys are talking rubbish and have no idea about the immigration system. My wife had to go through the same procedure when she came to the UK so I find it quite refreshing that sportsmen are treated the same.

The article would suggest that the fault of the whole procedure was Chelsea's. The problem clearly arose when they first informed immigration that they had no deal for Alex.

Tim, Farnham,

The stringent border controls did not seem to be applied to the million or so illegal immigrants that were allowed into the country.

Philip A Habib, Chertsey, Surrey

I am a spurs fan but must say this is a joke. The bloke is hardly a terror suspect or a threat to national security is he?

Just some jumped up power crazy officers having their day in the sun and bragging rights at the pub. They are a law unto themselves. I had grief at Heathrow 20 years ago when arriving back home from Australia I was asked by a heavily accented Indian immigration officer, ' What I was doing in this country, Why are you here' .

I will leave my reply to your imagination.

Kevin, Norwich,

I think that chelsea should act before, in other words they should inform the immigration Official and be aware of legislations. I also call it ``miss treat´´ because doesn´t happen the same to all foreign player in England, specially Europeans

Anderson Tavares, Luanda, Angola

“We have a duty to ensure that the public are aware of, and have confidence in, the security in place at the border, which is for their protection,” Brodie Clark, strategic director of border control at the Border and Immigration Agency, said.

That is what i call a load of tosh! Apparently Alex was refused entry while the likes of omar bakri & Abu hamza al masry were allowed in, should one trust what they say or what they do?

s.ahmed, Cairo,

The rules for obtaining a work permit are a joke. Man Utd signed Anderson last month in a similar position. He hadn't played in anything like 75% of Brazils games, yet they appealed and won on the grounds that he is an 'exeptional talent'.

If Alex does not receive his permit when he is a regulat international, yet Anderson gets his for having a few tricks it will be a travesty.

Steven Adam, Aberdeen, Scotland

Far from treating international sportmen with leniancy, I would argue for far tighter restrictions, controls AND questioning whatever their status. If they don't like it, then tough.

Brian, London,

"Alex has played in only eight of the past 14 matches for Brazil over the past two years, a lower ratio than the 75 per cent of games required by the Government. Chelsea believe that they will be able to overturn the decision because competition for places in the Brazil side is intense."

is this some kind of joke? what does the intensity of competition have to do with anything? the rules are clear. and they should apply to alex and chelsea the same as anyone else.

the rules are also stupid, but that's not the point.

jem, london, uk

I personally think Brodie is well capable of running a bath, and a quality warm bath too.

Patrick, Dublin,

What a ridiculous situation. Try to come into England by legitimate means and it appears your life is made hell. Come in clinging to the bottom of a Euro Tunnel train and a house, NHS hospitality and all the social benefits one could ever need are your rewards. The system sucks. I don'\t blame Alex for pushing off!

Darren Heath, London, England

Chelsea are wholly to blame. Alex should have been briefed about our strict immigration laws.

He should have been provided with an EEC passport, or an Indian ID. By now he'd have a nice house, benefits, a car and would be waiting for his family to join him.

We stop one in fifty thousand - Chelsea should know that.

Martin, Crawley, England

The Brits don't allow a first teamer for the Brazil national team and yet have places for Abramovich and Thaksin. Where was the border control then?

Aragon Quemaar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I would do the same. Those officers are over zealous and sometimes cross the "respect line". Alex is a well known player, how come could he be questioned for four hours? Are you gonna tell me he was a terrorist threat? Come on, the fact he doesn't have an American, Aussie or EU passport doesn't mean you have to mistreat him!

Daniel, Luanda, Angola

Iain is quite right. But the canting nonsense is taken a stage further by the fools in charge, as is evidenced by the pompous stupidity of the "strategic director" of "border control".

"“We have a duty to ensure that the public are aware of, and have confidence in, the security in place at the border, which is for their protection,” Brodie Clark, strategic director of border control at the Border and Immigration Agency, said".

Well, Brodie, I for one have no confidence in your ability to run a bath, let alone border security.

Furriskey, Singapore,

I think it is somewhat refreshing to find out that just because you are about to sign for Chelski FC, Immigration will not simply wave you through. (But yes: too much bureaucracy that costs way too much money, is extremely ineffective and that seems to not exactly get its priorities right.)

UEFA should stop Real Madrid from making claims that they will sign player such and such. Shame on Real. Shame on them.

Pat, Bangkok, Thailand

only in this country could an internationaly renowned sportsman be treated like a terror suspect whilst illegal imigrants are allowed to roam the country commiting crimes free from the fear of deportation.

iain, northumberland, uk