Edu: Was the first of the Arsenal passport pair (DarrenEngland/Allsport)

Although Home Office immigration officials have inspected the striker's Greek passport and confirmed it is genuine, the Lithuanian, who holds dual nationality to enable him to play as a European citizen, can now be expected to have to prove his passport was obtained legitimately.

The move will be a further embarrassment for Arsenal, who last July had £6m signing Edu turned back at Heathrow Airport after he was found in possession of a forged Portuguese passport.

Despite the Home Office statement that the Danilevicius passport 'appears to have been issued genuinely', the Lithuanian spent last week trying to obtain documentation to help him apply for a work permit to play in the UK.

His claims of Greek nationality are apparently based on a Greek great-grandfather, although the Greek consulate in London have stated that only a direct parent is sufficient for a passport to be issued.

Just hours after the controversy was revealed last week, the striker telephoned the Lithuanian football federation to plead for a document proving he had played internationally for the Baltic state.

Armed with such evidence, Arsenal could argue with British immigration officials that, as a regular international, the 22-year-old would qualify for a work permit in England if there were problems with his Greek passport.

'Tomas called personally,' said Robertas Tautkas, director of the Lithuanian national team.

'He wanted a certificate saying how many games he had played in the Lituanian national team. We have sent the papers to Arsenal. He played five games for the Lithuanian side last year and has played about 10 times altogether.'

The Moscow-born player has told Lithuanian chiefs he qualifies for a Greek passport through a distant relative. Tautkas said: 'Tomas said his great-grandfather was Greek.'

Tautkus also confirmed that Danilevicius is represented by the Russian football agent implicated in a Greek passport scandal in France and involving Arsenal's sister club, St Etienne.

They have been docked seven points in the French league for their part in obtaining forged documents for a player. The FA would follow suit only if Arsenal had colluded in obtaining a false passport.

The Danilevicius case is potentially more serious for Arsenal than the Edu fiasco as the Lithuanian has already appeared three times for the club; twice in the Premiership and once in the FA Cup win over Carlisle.

An Arsenal spokes-woman said: 'The club assumed Tomas's documentation to be true and correct when he signed for us. We have made every effort to get the situation checked out.'