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national congress scheduled for Monday to solve the dispute between the two rival national soccer organizations may be a bitter end to the country’s soccer saga, which will precipitate sanctions from FIFA.

Despite the warning of possible sanctions from FIFA, the government has decided to step in, but the outcome remains bleak, following the sudden resignation of then youth and sports minister Andi Mallarangeng, who was accused of corruption last Thursday.

While Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) members and executives have already arrived in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, none of the Indonesia Soccer Rescue Committee (KPSI) members and its affiliated clubs seem to have any intention of attending the national congress.

“We’re ready for the national congress. Governor [Agustinus Teras Narang] is scheduled to officially open it,” PSSI chairman Djohar Arifin told The Jakarta Post on Sunday from Palangkaraya.

Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister and acting Youth and Sports Minister Agung Laksono is scheduled to attend the congress, but his arrival remained to be seen as of Sunday evening.

“We have three points in the agenda: The unification of the two soccer leagues, the endorsement of a new PSSI statute and the reinstatement of four expelled executive committee members,” said Djohar.

No one knows what will happen during this national congress but both soccer federations agreed to comply with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) they signed in June in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and it seems likely FIFA will finally hand down sanctions, with an indefinite suspension being among the options.

Monday is the deadline FIFA set for the two organizations to end the quarrel between them, which has largely been blamed for the failure of the squad to qualify for ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup’s semifinals.

Indonesia’s 2-0 loss to defending champions and co-host Malaysia repeated the history of 2007, when the national squad was also halted at the group stage.

FIFA secretary-general Jérôme Valcke earlier warned that “the case would be brought before the FIFA Executive Committee on Dec. 14, in order to determine the sanctions, which could go as far as an indefinite suspension”.

In response to Djohar’s claim of the readiness of the congress, Roberto Rouw, one of the expelled executive committee members, said he and the other three expelled members had yet to receive an invitation letter from the PSSI to the national congress, likewise around 87 eligible voters who took part in a Surakarta congress and who should be invited for the Palangkaraya congress.

Roberto, along with La Nyalla Mattaliti, Erwin Dwi Budiawan and Toni Apriliani, was expelled from the committee last year for “ethical violations”.

“The MoU clearly states that PSSI must invite voters from the Surakarta national congress for the [Palangkaraya] national congress,” Roberto told the Post from Jakarta.

“But none of us received an invitation letter, or have been contacted by the PSSI for member verification process, nor by youth and sports ministry officials [for related matters].”

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Djoko Pekik Irianto could not be reached for confirmation, while PSSI secretary-general Halim Mahfudz, who handled the congress participant verification process, reportedly was returning from Palangkaraya to Jakarta on Sunday evening.