Soland avoids prosecution in passports probe

ASTON VILLA midfielder Nolberto Solano will not face prosecution over alleged passport irregularities following a four-year investigation.

Northumbria Police yesterday confirmed the 30-year-old Peruvian international, who was caught up in a scandal back in 2001 during his time at Newcastle, has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Solano arrived on Tyneside in a £2.5million transfer from Argentinian club Boca Juniors in August 1998 and was awarded a work permit. However, he later successfully applied for a Greek passport, for which he qualified through his grandmother, meaning that when his permit expired, he did not need to apply for another.