A number of Scotland fans hoping to follow their national team at the World Cup have suddenly had their permission to travel to the United States revoked, just days before Scotland are due to play. The team face Haiti in Boston at the weekend, and many supporters had been preparing to make the trip.
Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, said he would do all he could to help those affected. The situation has caused alarm among fans who had organised their travel well in advance and now suddenly find themselves unable to go.
At the heart of the problem is the ESTA, the electronic authorisation usually required for UK citizens travelling to the United States without a visa for stays of up to 90 days. For many supporters, it is the standard way of arranging a short trip across the Atlantic.
Some Scotland fans reported that their ESTA status had changed from approved to pending at the very last minute. Faced with that uncertainty, a number of them sought emergency appointments with the US Embassy in London in an attempt to salvage their plans.
Among those caught out was Michael, from Greenock, whose ESTA had been approved back in March but was revoked just one hour before his flight. His younger brother ended up having to travel without him, leaving the family trip split apart at the last moment.
His case is far from isolated. Dozens of people are said to be in the same situation, with their ESTAs marked as pending or denied just days before they were due to travel, and without any explanation being given for the change.
The advice for those affected is to contact a US embassy or consulate to apply for a visa instead. That route, however, takes extra time and money, and for fans such as Ivan from Nairn, who was due to fly to Boston, it leaves little margin before the tournament gets under way.