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meeting between Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi and soccer clubs in the Indonesia Super League (ISL) on Monday failed to reach an accord, as all the clubs preferred to maintain their allegiances to the suspended Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and refused the minister'€™s offer to continue the
competition.

The meeting at the ministry'€™s office in Senayan, Central Jakarta, was presided over by Imam and was attended by the assistant to the youth and sports minister for development and partnerships, Gatot S. Dewa Broto, representatives from league organizer PT Liga Indonesia, Joko Driyono and Tigor Shalom Boboy, and representatives from the 18 participating clubs. The meeting'€™s main agenda was to discuss the halted league.

'€œThe minister wants the ISL to go on. We have no intention to delay it. Therefore, we offered to resume the competition soon with PT Liga Indonesia as the organizer, despite the fact that the PSSI is being suspended,'€ Gatot said. '€œHowever they [the clubs] refused. They want the competition under the command of the PSSI.'€

The PSSI locked horns with the sports ministry after the Indonesian Professional Sports Body (BOPI), the ministry'€™s supervisory arm, announced that two of the 18 ISL clubs, namely Malang-based Arema and Persebaya of Surabaya, could not participate in the ISL because of internal conflicts over club ownership.

The PSSI disagreed with the BOPI'€™s decision and went on with 18 clubs competing in the league, which kicked off on April 4. The PSSI later announced that the competition, which carries a new name, the QNB League, was suspended '€” after only two match days '€” after receiving warnings from the ministry.

The decision was too little too late, as the ministry had already decided to freeze all PSSI activities after the former considered that the latter had failed to follow the BOPI'€™s recommendations by the deadline.

The league which was supposed to resume on April 25, is now hanging in the balance after police refused to issue permits for most of the matches.

On Sunday, the PSSI and PT Liga Indonesia announced the suspension of the QNB League for the second time.

'€œWe will wait for the results of PSSI'€™s executive committee meeting on May 2. The meeting will discuss the continuation of the ISL,'€ said Tigor.

Newly elected PSSI chairman La Nyalla Mahmud had said earlier that the PSSI would only bow to FIFA, the world soccer body, instead of to the ministry.

He wanted to meet with the minister last week, but to no avail since Imam was in Palembang, South Sumatra, for the opening ceremony of the President'€™s Cup boxing championships.

The suspension of the PSSI will likely affect Indonesia'€™s participation in all competitions under the auspices of FIFA, including the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, and the prospects of the two Indonesian clubs now playing in the Asia Champions League.