T

he Jakarta Administrative Court decided on Tuesday that the Youth and Sports Ministry decree on the freezing of Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) was legally invalid.

'€œWe hereby declare as void Ministry Decree no. 01307, regarding administrative sanctions on the PSSI. The decree should consequently not be recognized,'€ judge Ujang Abdullah was quoted by Antara as saying during the judicial proceedings on Tuesday.

The judge urged the ministry as the defendant to lift the decree. The ministry was also obliged to pay legal costs amounting to IDR 277,000 (US$20).

Minister Imam Nahrawi suspended the PSSI on April 18 in the wake of the organization'€™s refusal to exclude Persebaya Surabaya and Arema Indonesia from the Indonesian Super League (ISL) as demanded by the ministry due to the clubs'€™ dual ownership.

The issuance of the decree coincided with the election of La Nyalla Mattalitti as new PSSI chairman at a congress in Surabaya, East Java. La Nyalla replaced Djohar Arifin Husin.

Soccer'€™s international governing body FIFA viewed the ministry'€™s move on PSSI as government interference in soccer associations, and after its call for the cancellation of the decree was unheeded, it banned Indonesia from international tournaments.

On Tuesday, the judge panel noted a flaw in the decree, saying that it did not accord with good governance principles.

'€œIn issuing the decree, the defendant was acting beyond its authority,'€ Ujang said.

He stated that the ministry'€™s objection that La Nyalla did not have legal right to contend the decree was baseless. He said that based on the congress minutes, La Nyalla had legitimacy as PSSI chairman to replace Djohar.

'€œLa Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti is legitimate as a representative of the PSSI board in filing the lawsuit because he was elected as chairman at a PSSI congress on April 18,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, the ministry planned an appeal against the judgment.

'€œWe see several loopholes. We have 14 days to appeal,'€ Faisal Abdullah, the ministry'€™s lawyer said.

Regarding the calls for compromise with the PSSI, he said the decision was in the Minister Imam'€™s hands.

PSSI lawyer Togar Manahan Nero urged the minister to abide by the court'€™s decision because he was proven to have violated his authority in issuing the decree.

'€œWe leave it to the PSSI executive committee'€™s stance about whether to open dialogue with the minister in the hopes that our soccer can return to normalcy,'€ he said.

While serving the indefinite ban from international tournaments, Indonesia'€™s domestic competition has also experienced a lull period, prompting several clubs to dismiss their squads.