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Kalla steps in to unfreeze PSSI
The scale of disarray in professional Indonesian soccer reached the countryâs top authorities on Monday after Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, who had previously won support from President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo, defied Vice President Jusuf Kalla
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The scale of disarray in professional Indonesian soccer reached the country's top authorities on Monday after Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, who had previously won support from President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, defied Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
Nevertheless, the Indonesian Soccer League (ISL), which was halted, will likely resume because the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) issued a provisional decision on Monday ordering Imam to allow the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) to continue operating.
Imam, a National Awakening Party (PKB) politician, skipped a press conference at Kalla's office.
The Vice President received the minister, who came alongside PSSI deputy chairman Hinca Panjaitan, Indonesian Olympics Committee chairwoman Rita Subowo and former PSSI chairman Agum Gumelar.
Imam, who has been in a row with the PSSI following his decision to suspend the association's operation, turned out to be heading to Jokowi's office. He told Jokowi about Kalla's instruction to revoke his decree on the suspension of the PSSI.
'[Kalla] wanted [the decree revoked], but that option has not even been a consideration within our ministry,' Imam said after meeting with Jokowi, expressing his refusal to immediately succumb to Kalla's pressure.
Kalla is a former chairman of the Golkar Party, which many of PSSI's current and former top figures ' such as former PSSI chairman Nurdin Halid and former Indonesian League chairman Nirwan D. Bakrie ' are affiliated with.
'But the other options offered by the Vice President will indeed be considered. The option to amend my decree, for example, is worth considering,' Imam said.
A few hours earlier, Kalla announced that an amendment to the decree should bring the PSSI back to life and get the league operating again.
'PSSI should be active again in order for competition to resume,' he said. 'Problems [with FIFA] will then be automatically resolved.'
The world soccer ruling body, FIFA, has threatened to impose sanctions on Indonesia should the country fail to resolve the mess by May 29, when FIFA is due to hold its congress in Zurich, Switzerland.
FIFA said the minister's decree was an indication of government interference in the PSSI, a condition strictly prohibited by the body.
Imam issued the suspension on April 17 after the PSSI refused to disqualify two clubs from the ISL as recommended by the ministry-sanctioned Indonesian Professional Sports Body (BOPI).
The PSSI filed a lawsuit to challenge the decree with the PTUN, which ordered the minister to suspend the implementation of the decree pending a final ruling.
The judges said that many players, coaches, officials, referees and other people had been financially hit after the PSSI and soccer competitions were halted by the ministry.
Previously, the ministry formed a 17-member transitional board ' which included mayors, state officials, military officers, soccer activists and businesspeople ' in the wake of an impasse between the ministry and the PSSI. The board was tasked with managing soccer competitions until a new PSSI board was formed.
The PSSI was quick to reject the transitional board's existence.
PSSI chairman La Nyalla Mattalitti and other executives had been in Zurich to lobby FIFA. Hinca said he would join them soon to convey the outcome of his meeting with Kalla to FIFA to help persuade the body not to sanction Indonesia.
FIFA sanctions could include annulment of Indonesia's participation in FIFA-supported tournaments, including the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup and the SEA Games next month in Singapore.
The 2014 ISL champion Persib Bandung and runner-up Persipura Jayapura are currently playing in the AFC Cup. But Persipura's future in the tournament has been uncertain since the AFC announced on Monday it was investigating an incident regarding the failure of three foreign players of Malaysia's Pahang FC to obtain visas on arrival at Jakarta's airport on Saturday. Both teams were due to play in
Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday.
