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Indonesia sidesteps FIFA's suspension threat
Soccer fiasco: Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi arrives at the State Palace on Tuesday
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span class="caption">Soccer fiasco: Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi arrives at the State Palace on Tuesday. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo summoned Imam to discuss the recent suspension of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) activities and FIFA's much anticipated sanctions. Antara/Andika Wahyu
The Indonesian government does not appear to be backing down from implementing its soccer plan, despite the threat of being suspended from international competitions by world soccer body FIFA.
The latest development in the national soccer row on Wednesday saw President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo throw his support behind Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi's plan to form a transitional team with the task of managing soccer competitions until the formation of new Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) board could take shape.
'The President wants the transitional team to work as soon as possible,' Imam told a press conference following his meeting with Jokowi.
He had intended to announce the team's members on Wednesday, but he delayed it, saying he still required further input from various parties. The team was said to consist of between 15 and 17 people.
'I want to tell all soccer fans in the country that we need to dream big in making major changes to Indonesian soccer. We don't want to hear about problems regarding the players, referees, fans and clubs anymore,' he said.
'Give me a chance to prepare a better, transparent competition,' he added.
The press conference was held in the wake of a warning from FIFA in its May 4 letter to the PSSI, a representative of which later delivered the letter to the ministry's office on Tuesday.
FIFA stepped in following a move by the ministry to suspend the PSSI, which was blamed for not excluding two 'legally flawed' clubs from the Indonesian Super League (ISL), as recommended by the PSSI-sanctioned Indonesian Professional Sports Body (BOPI). The ministry went further by requesting that the police not issue match permits.
In response, the PSSI halted not only the premier league, which was two weeks old, but all domestic soccer competitions, citing force majeure.
In the letter, FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke urged the ministry to halt all its actions regarding the PSSI and threatened the country's soccer with sanctions if the conflict was not settled by May 29.
Minister Imam questioned the ethics of FIFA's policy in dealing with the issue.
'The letter is apparently addressed to the PSSI acting secretary-general, not to the minister. They should have sent it to the sports minister. Why did they not send it directly to us?' Imam said.
'They are supposed to know administrative ethics. We previously sent out letters directly to FIFA. If they sent the letter directly to me, then I would respond,' he said.
Despite the complaint, he said he would still prepare an honest, truthful response to the issue.
Should the conflict drag on and FIFA carry out its threat, Indonesia will become the latest country to suffer FIFA sanctions.
The most recent FIFA ban was meted out to Nigeria, which was suspended until last year from international soccer because of government interference in the running of its national federation.
Other countries suffering FIFA's wrath include Greece (2006), Iran (2006), Kuwait (2007), Ethiopia (2008), Brunei Darussalam (2009-2011), Peru (2008), Iraq (2011) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (2011).
Article 14 of FIFA's statutes says the congress is responsible for suspending a member. The executive committee may, however, suspend a member that seriously violates its obligations with immediate effect. The suspension shall last until the next congress, unless the executive committee decides to lift the ban in the meantime.
FIFA's next congress will be in Zurich on May 29.
Assistant minister for partnership and development Gatot S. Dewa Broto said the ministry would send a team to FIFA's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, later this month.
'We will explain to FIFA that we are trying to fix Indonesian soccer without violating FIFA statutes and that we have no intention of interfering,' he said.
Asked about the minister's stance on FIFA's suspension threat, Gatot said it was a calculated risk from a policy taken by the minister in his effort to resolve the country's soccer malaise.
