Diego Mendieta was a man who needed help.

There he lay, helpless. Alone. Dying.

There were no news stories. There was no #prayforMendieta hashtag, not even a line on the internet.

With the world oblivious to his plight, the Paraguayan, thousands of miles from home, passed away at the age of 32 in an Indonesian hospital on Tuesday.

Mendieta was a footballer who formerly played for Persis Solo, a club based 90 minutes' flight from the capital Jakarta.

He had longed to return home to see his wife and two children, but had not been paid four months' wages -- worth an estimated $12,500.

Mendieta fell ill and tragically died of cytomegalovirus -- a common infection that can be spread by coughing or sneezing.

In his final days, without enough money to finance his medical treatment, he moved hospital three times and lost around 17 kilograms in weight before his death.

His skeletal frame was left on a stretcher, covered by an old Real Madrid shirt, with a few football fans for company.

It is a story which has spread across the globe and left another stain on the sport in Indonesia, where two rival organizations are battling for control of the game.

"After his contract expired in June and his former club had not paid his salary, Mendieta suffered financially. He played in some rough football matches to survive in Solo," Indonesian journalist Sam Hadi of Kompas Daily told CNN.

"He was unable to pay for his rented room in the last six months. He even had difficulties to pay for food, so his friends, colleagues and fans raised money to help him.

"His agent had advised Mendieta to go home by preparing the flight ticket for him. But Mendieta reportedly said that he was ashamed of not bringing back money to his country."

Having fallen ill in early November, Mendieta was first diagnosed with typhoid. By the time he reached his third hospital, where he could not afford his medical bills, the cytomegalovirus had crawled to his brain, Hadi said.

"It was very, very sad situation for him."

Football in the Asian country has been torn apart by infighting between the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) and the breakaway Indonesian Soccer Rescue Committee (KPSI).

Football's ruling body FIFA has threatened to impose sanctions unless an agreement is reached.

Both bodies, which have their own competitions, have agreed to run just one league next season to avoid punishment from FIFA -- whose executive committee expects to have to rule on the matter at its meeting next Friday. The PSSI did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

"Unfortunately yet again, it seems that the set objectives will not be reached and we, therefore, anticipate that the PSSI will be sanctioned," FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke wrote in a letter to Indonesian sports minister Andi Mallarangeng.

"We are fully aware that Indonesia is passionate about football and that sanctions will have a major impact. We have tried tirelessly to solve the problems, but we are afraid that there will be no choice unless the objectives are met or that significant progress has been made."

The division has caused great ructions within Indonesian football, with players often the victims both financially and physically.

"Mendieta's death raises questions of how he was treated by Liga Super's management. Why was he not paid his salary for so long?" PSSI official Rudolf Yesayas told AFP.

"Managing football is a complicated affair. Mendieta's death highlights the importance of having one football association, not more."

The national team has also suffered, losing 10-0 to Bahrain in a World Cup qualifier in March -- a result which was investigated by FIFA due to suspicions of match-fixing.

"It has been almost two years since Indonesian football split," Hadi said.