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Jakarta Post

Roy vows to help end soccer dispute

The new Youth and Sports Minister, Roy Suryo, has vowed to exercise his authority to pressure the disputing parties in national soccer to come to a peaceful resolution

Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, January 16, 2013

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Roy vows to help end soccer dispute

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he new Youth and Sports Minister, Roy Suryo, has vowed to exercise his authority to pressure the disputing parties in national soccer to come to a peaceful resolution. “I will not hesitate to pressure the two heads of the PSSI [Indonesian Soccer Association] and KPSI [Indonesian Soccer Rescue Committee], Arifin Panigoro and Nirwan Bakrie, to meet,” Roy said after his official installment by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a ceremony at the State Palace on Tuesday

 “We all know that the two figures are tycoons who are playing games.”

Roy, a Democratic Party lawmaker, has replaced Andi Mallarangeng who stepped down from his post following his alleged involvement in a graft scandal.

However, his thrust to the ministerial post comes in the wake of heightening conflict over the fight for legitimacy between KPSI and PSSI. While the conflict has resulted in the formation of two leagues, the national team suffered when the clubs competing in the Indonesia Super League organized by KPSI, refused to release their players for international duty.

Roy vowed to settle the dispute.

“I will prioritize [issue on] PSSI,” he said. “There will be only one PSSI. It is a must. We must dare [to do it] and the government must intervene.”

He said that he could not promise when the problem would be resolved, but he did assure that he would act swiftly to meet the March deadline given by the world soccer ruling body FIFA.

Under his new leadership, he said that the ministry would also prioritize the improvement of Indonesian sports and set the conditions for the possibility of more achievement in the future, asking for public support in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar.

Roy also vowed to clean up the ministry following the graft scandal.

Critics have doubted Roy’s capacity to handle his post, but he has won the support of one of his predecessors. “We should be optimistic since Roy is willing to open up and learn,” former youth and sports minister Adhyaksa Dault told reporters in Jakarta. He served his tenure from 2004 to 2009.

He urged the new minister to be stern and bold in dealing with problems, particularly the PSSI-KPSI rift. “Roy must build close ties and open-up dialogue between Arifin and Nirwan,” he said.

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