T

he government'€™s authority has been put to the test, with the Indonesian Super League (ISL) deciding to act against a recommendation to disqualify two of its 18 soccer teams from competition this year.

'€œWhat do recommendations mean?'€ Joko Driyono, chairman of league administrator PT Liga Indonesia, said when contacted by The Jakarta Post.

'€œWe are not in a position to make recommendations reference for new policy. Those recommendations as a are only used as a reference for us to obtain match permits from the police. Our decision regarding [the eligibility of the] 18 clubs has not changed,'€ he said.

His comments came in response to a decision by the Indonesian Professional Sports Body (BOPI), a supervisory arm of the Youth and Sports Ministry, that Arema Indonesia and Persebaya Surabaya were ineligible due to internal conflicts over club ownership.

'€œArema Indonesia and Persebaya Surabaya failed to get our recommendations due to conflicting ownership [issues],'€ BOPI chairman Noor Aman said during a media conference at the ministry.

Wednesday'€™s announcement capped a weeks-long verification drive that had prompted a delay of the league'€™s start from Feb. 20 to April 4, with BOPI assessing whether standards regarding business permits, finance, professional sport permits, young players'€™ development programs and social responsibility programs were being met by clubs.

Head of the verification team, Iman Suroso, said only five of the 18 teams had qualified under the eligibility terms, but that he allowed 11 other clubs to join, under the condition that their eligibility would be reassessed at the season'€™s midway point.

'€œSemen Padang, Sriwijaya FC, Persib Bandung, Persija Jakarta and Persipura Jayapura are the teams that have met all the requirements,'€ Imam said, adding that should a club object to the verification results, BOPI and the ministry were ready to take legal action.

CEO of Persebaya Indonesia Gede Widiade questioned the BOPI decision. '€œBOPI is not [soccer] major organization. We have obtained a recommendation from the PSSI and the National Sports Committee [KONI],'€ he told The Jakarta Post.

He added he would continue coordinating with PT Liga Indonesia and the police regarding the ISL, adding that he may file a lawsuit against BOPI.

Joko said Persebaya and Arema deserved to compete, and urged BOPI to let the owners bring the dispute to court. '€œThe league will not be tampered with by conflict,'€ he said.

He expressed appreciation for the government'€™s effort to professionalize national sports, but called for better synchronization to avoid regulatory overlap.