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House members set to grill PSSI chairman Nurdin
The Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) boss Nurdin Halid, already under public pressure to resign after years of stagnant development and the national soccer team’s declining performance, will soon have to explain himself before lawmakers
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he Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) boss Nurdin Halid, already under public pressure to resign after years of stagnant development and the national soccer team’s declining performance, will soon have to explain himself before lawmakers.
The House of Representatives’ Commission X overseeing sports, youth affairs, tourism, culture and education will hold a public hearing with PSSI executives, including Nurdin, in April, according to member Utut Adianto.
“The commission will invite Nurdin Halid for a public hearing after April 9 as we are still on a recess term. We also will wait for the recommendations made at the upcoming [national soccer] congress in Malang,” Utut told the “Save Our Soccer” discussion on Wednesday.
Utut was referring to a planned national soccer congress, scheduled for March 30-31 in East Java’s town of Malang, organized by the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) in cooperation with the Youth and Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council (KONI).
The congress was first suggested by President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono in February, with the main agenda being to draft a set of recommendations to the PSSI to reform itself — including the removal of Nurdin — and the country’s sports development system in general.
The organizers said they planned to submit the recommendations also to FIFA and AFC, the world’s and Asia’s soccer governing bodies.
Utut, along with soccer observer and senior journalist Budiarto Sambazy and founder of Save Our Soccer national movement Isfahani, were in agreement on the urgency of Nurdin’s stepping down of his chair.
Nurdin, who won his second term in office, from 2007 to 2011, amid controversy over the fact that he had served two years in prison on corruption charges — a violation to FIFA statutes — has been seen as the man behind a string of failures.
The most recent ones were the national team’s first-time failure in 14 years to advance to the Asian Cup finals, the U-23 team’s failure in advancing from the qualifying stage in SEA Games in Laos, as well as the junior team’s failure to qualify for the U-19 Asian Cup.
Nonetheless, Utut and Budiarto expected the pressure for Nurdin to step down was conducted in line with the mechanism within the FIFA Standard Statutes, which states that an extraordinary congress can be held only by the request of 2/3 of members of the association.
“Thus the 108 members of PSSI, which include clubs and provincial associations, hold the key for organizational reform in PSSI. They have to attend the congress as they are also morally responsible for the development of this country’s soccer,” Budiarto said.
