Two Ugandan cricket players are facing deportation from New Zealand after their visas expired.
Raymond Otim, 27, and Faruk Ochimi, 18, disappeared after the ICC World Cup qualifying tournament in Whakatane in late January.
Their visas expired on Friday and they are liable for deportation from Saturday, Immigration New Zealand says.
Otim and Ochimi have 42 days to appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal - during this time they cannot be forcibly removed.
The men had not made any applications, an Immigration spokeswoman said on Saturday.
Whakatane hosted Uganda's Cricket Cranes for two tournament warm-up matches.
"They had planned long before going to New Zealand that they would not return to Uganda, but instead they will disappear from the rest of the team and later travel to Australia and join Ugandans playing cricket there," said their close friend James Otim.
Uganda finished bottom in the tournament.
In 2009, seven of the Under-19 Uganda side at the World Cup qualifiers disappeared in Canada where they had gone to play.
