T

he National Sports Council (KONI) is ready to mediate the ongoing conflict between the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and the Youth and Sports Ministry, revealing that the problem lies in miscommunication between the two bodies.

'€œI have been informed about the matter and I will advise sports minister [Imam Nahrawi] to find a solution as soon as possible. This can be solved, it'€™s only a matter of communication and coordination,'€ KONI chairman Tono Suratman said as quoted by Antara on Monday.

'€œPSSI hopes I can give input to the government since PSSI is a member of KONI,'€ he added.

Tono was speaking after meeting with PSSI'€™s newly elected executives, including chairman La Nyalla Mattalitti and executive committee members Djamal Aziz and Tony Aprilani, at his office in Jakarta.

The PSSI officials visited KONI after failing to meet with the sports minister, who is in Palembang, South Sumatra, to attend the opening ceremony of an international amateur boxing tournament.

'€œWe had intended to talk things over with the sports minister today, but we were told that the minister is in Palembang. We need an explanation from him,'€ La Nyalla said at ministry'€™s building.

The sports ministry has decided to freeze all activities of the PSSI and will replace the body with a transition team that will be set up this week, following a dispute over club ownership that has led to the country'€™s top-flight QNB league being halted.

The suspension was imposed on PSSI'€™s 85th anniversary, which fell on April 18, a day after the soccer body held an extraordinary congress to elect its new chairman and executives in Surabaya.

Former member of soccer reform team, FX Hadi '€œRudy'€ Rudyatmo, asked the PSSI officials to put aside their egos and talk things over with the minister to find a solution.

'€œIt'€™s weird that they only want to follow FIFA'€™s regulation and not the government'€™s,'€ said Rudy, who is also the mayor of Surakarta.

He also expected the sports minister to coordinate with FIFA to avoid unexpected occurrence to Indonesian soccer.

'€œThe [soccer] competitions must go on since there will be AFC Cup, [2015] SEA Games and [2018] Asian Games,'€ said Rudy.

The ministry'€™s move may risk sanction from FIFA which has already warned against what it views as the government'€™s meddling in soccer.

Indonesia had previously faced the sanction threat by FIFA when the soccer body broke into two different associations that managed two different leagues in 2012. The sanction never being imposed since the two soccer bodies decided to merge in 2013.

'€œShould FIFA imposed sanction to Indonesia, it is all the players who will be affected since they will not be able to compete in international competitions,'€ said Paulus Haryoto, CEO of Persis Solo.