PSG defender Serge Aurier refused entry into UK for Arsenal Champions League clash after recent conviction

Serge Aurier was recently sentenced for elbowing a police officer. Credit: Reuters

Paris St Germain defender Serge Aurier has been refused permission by British authorities to travel to England for Wednesday's Champions League match against Arsenal.

The French club announced that Aurier, a 23-year-old Ivory Coast international, had been denied an entry visa because of a recent assault conviction.

In a statement, Paris St Germain said: "Due to a sudden about-face by the British authorities, Serge Aurier has not been allowed to travel with Unai Emery's squad for the clash away to Arsenal. Paris Saint-Germain is stunned by this incomprehensible situation that attacks the very integrity of the UEFA Champions League."

Aurier was given a two-month prison sentence on September 26 for assaulting a police officer. The incident occurred on May 30 outside a Paris nightclub when the 23-year-old was originally arrested and placed in police custody.

He has appealed against the judgment, his French club said, declaring that on such a basis he should be presumed innocent.

PSG also say they have the support of UEFA, European football's governing body and the organiser of the Champions League.

The Ligue 1 champions said Aurier had been initially granted permission to travel with the rest of the squad to London, before a decision last Wednesday reversed the ruling.