Former Manchester United footballer Dwight Yorke has said he was “made to feel like a criminal” when he was denied entry to the US.
The 45-year-old said he was stopped from boarding the aircraft in Qatar, which was flying to Miami on Thursday.
Yorke said a red flag came up against his name because his passport showed he had visited Iran.
“I couldn’t quite believe what was happening. I have lost count of the number of times I have been to America, I love the country, yet I was being made to feel like a criminal,” Yorke told The Sun.
He said he had bought his ticket, checked in and was about to board the flight when he was stopped by two officials.
The former footballer said he was told there was a problem with his visa due to the Iranian stamp in his passport.
“I went there to play in a legends match to open a stadium and didn’t even stay overnight,” Yorke said.
Yorke said he was told that if he got on the flight he “would simply be deported back to Qatar” once he arrived in the US.
Richard Keys, who works for BeIn Sports with Yorke, slammed the incident as “crazy”.
In January Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending the US’s refugee program and immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
These include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Yorke is not the first sportsman to speak out about Trump’s contentious travel ban.
Last month British Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah, who has lived in Oregon for six years, said the ban was “deeply troubling”.
Farah, who is originally from Somalia, said the US President’s policy “comes from a place of ignorance and prejudice”.
He added: “Now, me and many others like me are being told that we may not be welcome.”