Essien and 11 Other Foreign Footballers and Coaches Finally Get Work Permit
Jakarta. The Manpower Ministry finally issued work permits, or IMTA, for 12 foreign footballers and coaches playing in Indonesia's top tier Liga 1 on Saturday morning (22/04).
After a series of mix-ups with the Immigration Office, the ministry decided to make it easier for the overseas players and coaches to obtain their IMTAs as the league has already entered its second week.
"As of Saturday, we've issued 12 IMTAs for Liga 1 players and coaches," the ministry's supervisory director general Maruli Hasoloan told Detiksport.
The decision to issue the IMTAs was made after the ministry held a special meeting on Thursday (20/04) with the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), Liga 1 officials and the Sports Ministry.
"As long as the clubs submit the required documents, we'll grant them the IMTAs," Maruli said.
IMTA is a prerequisite for the long-stay permit, called Kitas. Indonesian government requires foreign footballers to hold both documents to play in a professional league.
The foreign players issued with the IMTAs include Persib Bandung stars Michael Essien and Carlton Cole and Madura United's Peter Odemwingie.
Tags: Keywords: