Jakarta (ANTARA) - A former foreign footballer in Liga 1, Indonesia's men's top professional football league, was deported by the Kediri immigration office in East Java for overstaying.

The Brazilian, identified by his initials as WCA, 37, was deported along with his wife and three children through the Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Banten, on Thursday.

"WCA is a former player in Liga 1 but did not have any club since his contract with PSIS Semarang expired. He then exited Indonesia and re-entered the country using visa on arrival to seek a new club," Head of the Kediri Immigration Office Denny Irawan said as quoted from the website of the Directorate General of Immigration.

However, as he failed to sign a new contract with any club while the visa has expired, WCA reported to the Kediri immigration office.

WCA and his family were deported to Brazil aboard Qatar Airlines flight QR955.

"Because they did not have money, their deportation was paid by the Brazil Embassy," Irawan remarked.

The immigration office has also put the family on the list of persons prohibited from entering Indonesia for a certain period of time.

Based on data of the Immigration Directorate General of the Law and Human Rights Ministry, during the period from January to March 2023, it had deported 620 foreign nationals.

Those foreigners were deported for various immigration violations including misuse of visa and stay permit, overstaying, disturbing public order, making trouble, and violating rules in Indonesia.

"We give administrative sanctions against those troubled foreigners in Indonesia, including detention, deportation, and prohibition from entering Indonesia for a certain period of time," Director General of Immigration Silmy Karim remarked.