Jakarta. Three Indonesian students got deported from Cairo, Egypt, after attacking a fellow student over a soccer tournament, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The three students -- who go by the initials AM, AF, and MC -- already landed in Indonesia over the weekend. They were all students at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

"A fight between students in Cairo erupted after a soccer tournament back in July 2023. This fight led to physical violence and destruction of property," Judha Nugraha, the director for citizen protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

“The Egyptian authorities detained the three Indonesian students on Aug. 27. They got deported and already landed in Indonesia on Sep. 10. The process took place in accordance with the Egyptian laws,” Judha said.

The Indonesian Embassy in Cairo has tried mediating with the parties in conflict by also involving the local student association.

“The embassy has always been impartial throughout the entire mediation process. We understand that the perpetrators as well as the victims are Indonesians. We do not take sides,” Judha said.

News outlet Antara reported that a fight broke out between two student groups following the Cordoba Cup in Cairo, back in July.

The groups in question were Kelompok Studi Walisongo (a community of Indonesian students in Egypt who come from Java) and their Sulawesi counterpart Kerukunan Keluarga Sulawesi (KKS). AM, AF, MC came from Sulawesi.

They attacked a fellow student who was of Central Java descent.