Pahang's Damion Stewart (left to right), Dickson Nwakaeme and Zesh Rehman spent a night at the Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta for not having a calling visa upon arrival.
PETALING JAYA: Pahang are in a limbo.
The Elephants’ last-16 AFC Cup away match against Persipura Jayapura has hit a snag as three of their foreign players were denied entry into Indonesia due to visa problems.
Pahang arrived in Jakarta on Saturday, but were left stranded at the Soekarno Hatta International Airport. To show their solidarity for the three detained team-mates, the players and officials spent the night at the airport.
The Pahang trio - Nigerian striker Dickson Nwakaeme, Jamaican defender Damion Stewart and Pakistani Zesh Rahman - were detained by immigration officials for not possessing a calling visa, a requirement under the Indonesian immigration law for passport holders from certain countries.
Pahang manager Fahrizal Hassan was furious with the PSSI for not coming to their aid.
“There was no sense of urgency from the PSSI on our visa applications. We sent to them to sort it out early.
“And they assured us of the visas on our arrival, but three of our foreign players were detained and were told to leave on the next flight to Kuala Lumpur,” said Fahrizal yesterday.
“With no help from the Indonesians, we decided to take the next flight back yesterday (Sunday) morning.
“According to the AFC Cup rules, we should get a walkover. We will let AFC decide on the matter, but we are not keen on a fixture change for this match,” added Fahrizal.
Meanwhile, AFC acting general secretary Windsor John, who was in Zurich for FIFA’s Congress, said the matter would be referred to the competitions committee for action.
Indonesian football is in a quagmire following their Sports Ministry’s decision to freeze the activities of the PSSI.
FIFA have threatened suspension if the Indonesian government does not revoke its decision by May 29.
