Besart Berisha set to receive Australian citizenship, allowing Victory to sign another guest marquee

BESART Berisha is on track to receive Australian citizenship, which would free Melbourne Victory to chase a blockbuster guest marquee for the last three months of the season.

BESART Berisha is on track to receive Australian citizenship on Australia Day, which would free Melbourne Victory to chase a blockbuster guest marquee for the last three months of the season.

Berisha has been in Australia the requisite five years to be naturalised, but moves to push his citizenship application through before the start of this season encountered problems.

The 31-year-old has long expressed his desire to become an Australian and doing so would mean he would not be counted as one of Victory’s five foreign players on its squad list.

Should the striker receive citizenship on Australia Day — Victory takes on Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium in its annual U-Nite clash that night — he would instantly be counted as an Australian player.

Besart Berisha is set to become an Australian citizen, allowing Melbourne Victory to sign another guest marquee player. Picture: George Salpigtidis

This does not mean the 17-time Albanian international can ever play for the Socceroos, but it does mean Victory will have the ability to recruit another visa player for the last 10 games of the season plus finals should it wish to do so.

Berisha was signed by Brisbane Roar on the eve of the 2011-12 season.

“I am now five years here and I really enjoy every moment since day one,” Berisha said in May.

“I would love to be an Aussie, I enjoy myself here and this is the most important.

“If I’m able to get (citizenship) I will take it. I think being Australian is good.”

Victory’s attempts to sign Italian forward Alessandro Diamanti as a guest marquee were scuppered by FFA, but an approved bid to sign Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien fell through on the eve of the season.

Marco Rojas is one of Victory’s visa players. Picture: Getty

Guest marquees, who must be approved by head office, are paid outside of the $2.6m salary cap, with FFA contributing to the wage bill.

Melbourne City’s Tim Cahill is the only player to have been signed under the rule — new for this season — so far.

Coach Kevin Muscat said after the failed Essien bid that he would not rule out going after another international marquee, but the club has since signed German forward Maximilian Beister inside the salary cap.

Its other visa players are forwards Marco Rojas and Fahid Ben Khalfallah and defender Alan Baro.

Originally published as Besart Berisha set to receive Australian citizenship, allowing Victory to sign another guest marquee