A BRITISH Government official has defended the decision to grant Brazilian defender Branco a work permit to play for Middlesbrough, even though he failed to meet the criteria laid down by the Department for Education and Employment.

And that decision will raise a few eyebrows with both West Ham and Everton, currently embroiled in negotiations with the department after having respective requests for work permits for Romanian Ilie Dumitrescu and Marc Holliger of Switzerland rejected.