Former Boston Bulldogs Goalkeeper Matt Nelson got a shock welcome to Ireland when he was locked up in Mountjoy jail for a night by immigration officials.

Nelson was coming to Ireland to join up with Kilkenny City for a trial but the immigration officials refused to accept his story and locked the 20-year-old up instead.

"I tried to explain to them that I wasn't looking for work and had already been signed up by Kilkenny City FC for trials," said Matt.

"The team was looking after everything for me. The officials didn't seem to understand the situation and I was whisked off in a van to Mountjoy jail."

If Kilkenny were supposed to be looking after everything, why were they not at the airport to meet the player?

Even though Kilkenny general manager Jimmy Rhatigan did move quickly to get the player released when he found out about the incarceration, it could have been avoided if some member of the club had taken the time to travel to Dublin to meet the player.

And why are American citizens being locked up in jail just because they don't have a work permit? If the same happened to an Irish person in the States there would be uproar from this side of the water.