Clubs hiring foreign players without work permits

KATHMANDU, July 17: Altogether 48 foreign players were featured in the Martyrs Memorial League. All clubs, except three departmental teams -- Army, Police and APF -- and Koilapani Polestar featured foreign players.



Clubs that recruited foreign players had to submit International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and Xerox copies of the players´ passports to All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). However, ANFA did not ask the clubs to get work permits for their foreign players.[break]



“We had not made it compulsory this season,” accepted Lalit Krishna Shrestha, ANFA vice president and spokesperson. “We have done this to facilitate the clubs to hire more foreign players and raise the standard of the league,” he added.



However, current Labor Act of the country categorically states that any foreigner, who comes Nepal to work for wages should have work permit. “Any foreigner who works in Nepal for a salary must have a work permit. However, it is the employer who should get the work permit for the workers,” said Purna Chandra Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor.



“We´ll take action against clubs who have hired foreign players without work permits,” Bhattarai added. “If the government directs us, we´ll ask clubs to get work permits issued for their foreign players,” said spokesperson Shrestha.

Related story

Over 400,000 secure work permits for foreign jobs in seven mont...