W

hen Europe was on the brink of total Nazi domination, two unlikely allies, the capitalist US and the communist Soviet Union, emerged despite their differences. As it is now, it was then almost improbable for those two powers to forge an alliance.

Yet, Franklin D. Roosevelt had no other option but to '€œhold hands with the devil'€, referring to Joseph Stalin, in order to defeat Adolf Hitler. This effort to defeat a common enemy by two opposing parties is not exclusive to World War II.

Israel and Saudi Arabia have recently formed an unholy alliance to counter the Iranian threat, especially after Barack Obama'€™s nuclear deal with Hassan Rouhani.

Indeed, the Jewish state also provided intelligence data to the Saudis, in addition to providing military equipment to the United Arab Emirates, to support their fight against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

In the business world, a similar phenomenon can be observed. Arguing for net neutrality, Google and its competitor, Yahoo, along with many other tech companies, together opposed the Federal Communication Commission'€™s (FCC) plan to allow for internet '€œfast lanes'€, letting Internet Service Providers (ISPs) charge extra for faster connections.

Rival companies like Microsoft and Apple formed an alliance to buy 6,000 patent assets for US$4.5 billion from Nortel Networks, previously Canada'€™s largest telecommunications equipment maker, beating out Google'€™s offer.

In fact, we can go back to as far back as the late 13th century and find that after the murder of King Kertanegara of Singhasari, Raden Wijaya formed a strange alliance with the invading Mongol force of Kubilai Khan to Java, simply to look for and defeat Jayakatwang, the king'€™s killer.

A similar strategy seems to be required for Indonesian soccer given the current difficult situation it'€™s facing as the government is in the process of reforming the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI).

The public, for years, has realized that the PSSI is a troubled organization that has suffered from mismanagement and financial as well as political abuse.

Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi'€™s efforts to reform Indonesian soccer'€™s management, by issuing a suspension against PSSI and forming the Transition Team to help with the reform process, should be applauded. No doubt, reforming Indonesian soccer is no easy task.

It should be regarded as an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, process. It also involves various stakeholders, primarily the government (i.e. the Youth and Sports Ministry along with the Transition Team), the PSSI and the soccer clubs.

Unfortunately, as the reform is taking place, these soccer clubs seem marginalized in the process.

Indeed, the clubs themselves are not immune to problems. There are stories of players not receiving their salaries, or how teams flaunt labor laws to recruit foreign players.

Yet, those allegations are merely the symptoms of a larger problem, that is, the PSSI'€™s inability to regulate these clubs.

Hence, the key to Indonesian soccer'€™s success mainly lies in reforming the federation.

In light of this situation, even with their shortcomings, soccer clubs are an important ally in reforming the PSSI. They need to be embraced and treated as equal partners. The Transition Team should open more channels of communication to all soccer clubs in various divisions to push for major reform to take place within the PSSI.

A strategic alliance needs to be built, as in the case with FDR and Stalin, Israel and Saudi, or even Raden Wijaya and Kubilai Khan in Java. And we all need to remember once again the old adage that '€œthe enemy of my enemy is my friend'€.

Furthermore, one cannot deny the fact that it is the soccer clubs that the sponsors look for. It is the clubs that the fans cheer for, not the transition team, and certainly not the PSSI.

Like it or not, the business aspects of sport cannot simply be ignored. Clubs need money to survive. Their pursuit for financial gain should not be seen with suspicion, as long as the gain is legal with fair distribution to its athletes.

And hence the clubs need a competition that allows its players to showcase their talents and accommodates its business interests.

Finally, again, reform takes time. The lifting of the PSSI'€™s suspension by the Youth and Sports Ministry should also not be done in haste.

At least not until after the PSSI'€™s management agrees on a reform plan offered by the government. Not reforming the PSSI, and eventually soccer itself, would not only be irresponsible, it would be a disservice to the Indonesian people who love this game dearly.