Five out of the eight Cambodian Premier League soccer teams hire foreign talents and their total number now stands at 16, local media on Thursday quoted football officials as saying.

They came from African countries like Ghana Nigeria, Cameroon and the Congo, Keo Sarin, Vice President of the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC), was quoted by English-language newspaper the Cambodian Daily as saying.

FFC President and National Military Police Commander Sao Sokha said that foreign footballers were first allowed into the league for the 2006 season, in an attempt to push the maturation process forward both financially and athletically.

"We want to have more support from the public. Our sponsors will only sponsor us if there is interest from the audience," he said.

The presence of foreigners in the league can also help improve the capabilities of the local players, he added.

A foreign player is usually paid 200 to 400 U.S. dollars a month and enjoys free accommodation and food, said the report.

According to the league regulations, each team can have no more than five foreign players and no team can field more than three at one time.