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Indonesia issued with FIFA warning
Save our soccer: Thousands of Persija soccer club fans in Jakarta, collectively known as âJakmaniaâ, stage a demonstration in front of the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday
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span class="caption">Save our soccer: Thousands of Persija soccer club fans in Jakarta, collectively known as 'Jakmania', stage a demonstration in front of the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday. They demanded President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo intervene to 'save Indonesian soccer'. JP/DON
World soccer body FIFA has urged Indonesia to solve its soccer row by May 29, or face suspension.
In its letter dated May 4, FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke warned the Youth and Sports Ministry against what he viewed as meddling in the affairs of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI).
The letter, sent to the PSSI, also held the National Sports Council (KONI) responsible for the current stalemate in the country's national soccer scene.
Valcke said the ministry and KONI had violated articles 13 and 17 of FIFA's statutes, which obligate all FIFA member associations to manage their affairs independently and without influence from third parties.
'In this regard, please be informed that should all actions taken by the ministry and/or KONI placing PSSI in violation of articles 13 and 17 of FIFA statutes not be withdrawn by May 29, 2015, then we will have no other option but to refer this matter to the appropriate FIFA body for an immediate suspension,' said Valcke.
'Given the seriousness of this matter, we strongly recommend that you disseminate this correspondence to Menpora [the ministry] and KONI as a matter of urgency and strongly encourage them to find a solution before May 29, 2015'.
PSSI chairman La Nyalla Mattalitti delivered the letter to the ministry's office on Tuesday, but he failed to meet Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi who was attending the opening ceremony of the Tour de Ijen in East Java.
The letter was received by assistant deputy for organization Dody Iswandi.
'We came here to deliver the letter we received from FIFA to the sports minister, which warns that we will be sanctioned should the soccer row not be settled by May 29,' La Nyalla said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Copies of the letter were also sent to President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) chairman Rita Subowo, KONI chairman Tono Suratman as well as former chairman of the PSSI's reform team, Agum Gumelar.
La Nyalla said he would continue communication with the ministry to discuss the situation, despite failing to meet the minister on three previous occasions.
'Hopefully we can find a solution. If not, we will be sanctioned and we won't be able to compete in the upcoming SEA Games or ASEAN Football Federation [AFF] sanctioned-tournaments, as well as the 2018 World Cup qualifying games,' said La Nyalla.
The suspension will also threaten the participation of domestic league champion Persib Bandung and runner-up Persipura Jayapura's participation in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup, with both close to qualifying for the next stage.
Ministry spokesman and assistant minister for development and partnership Gatot S. Dewa Broto said he had not yet received the letter.
Separately, hundreds of Persija Jakarta supporters, known as the Jakmania, staged a protest in front of the State Palace on Tuesday demanding that Jokowi intervene to help settle the country's soccer conflict.
'We request that the President settles this problem. We have lodged our requests everywhere before going to the State Palace. I hope the President shows his concern,' said Jakmania head Richard Achmad Supriyanto in his oration on Tuesday.
They hoped the aborted Indonesia Super League (ISL) and other soccer competitions, as declared by the PSSI on Saturday, could resume soon.
The PSSI announced a total stoppage of soccer activities, citing force majeure in the wake of the ministry's move to suspend the association on April 17, as tensions between the two institutions heated up over club eligibility issues.
The ministry, through the Indonesian Professional Sports Body (BOPI), banned clubs Persebaya Surabaya and Arema Indonesia from the ISL due to ownership disputes but the PSSI rejected the move and continued to allow the two clubs to be part of the 18-club league.
