Two South Americans came to Belize to play semi - professional football, but the athletes from Argentina and Peru are in jail tonight pending deportation.
Peruvian Luis Angel Rafael Altamirano, and Argentinian Lucas Moschini told the court they are both football players when they pleaded guilty to failure to comply with the conditions of a visitors permit Extension.
The two men were fined $1,000 each and ordered to pay forthwith in default, six months.
A removal order was also granted where the Senior Magistrate ordered that they be sent back home within a reasonable time of either paying their fines or serving their time.
It seems they arrived earlier in the year and did not get extension to their visitors' permits.
Moschini said he is here working as a Football Player with the Port Loyola Football Team and there is an agreement for them to stay in Belize as permitted by their work permit. But according to the Immigration Prosecutor, the men are not being charged for violating a work permit, but for being in Belize illegally.
A release form the Port Loyola football club says the were in the process of obtaining the necessary visa but the process was taking some time.
"Port Layola FC" says they are we working along with FFB, PLB and the Immigration Department to get the two players released as soon as possible.
