PSSI claims FIFA approved its congress program

Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) secretary-general Nugraha Besoes said on Wednesday that FIFA has received the association’s organizational regulations, which would be used as an official guide for its two upcoming general assemblies in March and April.

Nugraha said the PSSI had sent the organizational regulation to FIFA before distributing it to legal voters, who included the chief and deputy chief of each PSSI provincial office as well as managers and secretaries of soccer clubs nationwide.
“We received a response from FIFA last night [Tuesday] and discussed it. There was no special statement from FIFA. The congress will run as planned, no problems at all,” Nugraha told reporters in Jakarta.

Previously, the PSSI was reported to have brought forward the date of its congress, at which it elects
its new chief, to April 10 from April 29. The report was denied by Nugraha, who said there had been no rescheduling.

Nugraha said FIFA had ordered the PSSI to select its new chairman according to the international soccer federation’s standard electoral code.

The PSSI will hold a separate congress on March 26.

During this congress, which will be held in Pekanbaru, Riau, the PSSI will elect a selection committee and an appeal committee for the election congress, Nugraha said. He said a few small changes would be made to the electoral process for selecting officials in provincial offices.

“An example of one of the changes is that one of the voters at the North Sulawesi office will no longer be Syahrial Damopolii, as he has received a vote of no confidence from members of the provincial office,” Nugraha said.

“The same condition also applies in North Sumatra as its chief has passed away.”

“We, however, will verify the information before making any decision [regarding the substitution of the former voters].”

About 100 voters — from 23 provincial offices, 15 super league soccer clubs, 14 Division I clubs, 12 Division II clubs and 10 Division III clubs — will take part in the PSSI’s two general assemblies. Candidates for the chief position must win at least five votes and not be employed as a government official or at any other organization.

Seperately, Indonesian Sports Council chair Rita Subowo said that she would send representatives to supervise the PSSI congress.The South Sumatra PSSI office has stated that it is strongly opposed to Nurdin Halid’s candidacy at the upcoming congress.

PSSI South Sumatra secretary Doso Susilo said he had not received the organizational regulation.

“We only received the address of the congress,” he added.

Khairul Saleh contributed to this story from Palembang