 |
Local
watchdog Save Our Soccer said 81 foreign footballers and coaches were playing
in Indonesia without the correct permit ©Patrick Hertzog (AFP)
|
Indonesia threatened Monday to
punish foreign footballers working without proper permits after a watchdog
claimed scores of overseas players and coaches had illegally joined local
clubs.
AFP
report continues:
Local
watchdog Save Our Soccer said in a report that 81 foreign footballers and
coaches were currently playing in the country without the correct permit.
A
total of 29 were from Brazil, while others came from a wide range of countries
in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, according to the report released
last week.
It
said many players only had a visa on arrival, a 30-day permit for tourists,
while others had business visas, designed for people like consultants who
occasionally visit the country.
"There's
an indication that there are illegal players in Indonesia," sports
ministry spokesman Gatot Dewa Broto told AFP.
"We
are working with the immigration department to investigate this -- this is not
right."
Once
investigations were complete, those found to be in breach of the law would be
punished, he said, without revealing what form the punishments would take.
Foreign
players in Indonesia have long complained of being treated badly by their
clubs, with some cases of overseas players dying after going unpaid and being
unable to afford medical treatment.
The
news emerged as Indonesian football recovers from a year-long FIFA suspension
due to government meddling in the domestic league.
Indonesia are due to make a return to international football on Tuesday with a friendly against Malaysia following the lifting of the FIFA ban in May.
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