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Erick takes PSSI top job in runaway vote
Cabinet ministers took the top two jobs at the PSSI leadership race on Thursday, paving the way for a closer relationship between the government and the nation’s soccer governing body.
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Erick Thohir, then-president of Inter Milan, speaks during the launch of a digital product for the soccer club in Jakarta on Sept. 11, 2014. Erick has been elected as the new chairman of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI). (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
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tate-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir and Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali took the top two jobs in the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) leadership race at an extraordinary congress on Thursday, paving the way for a closer relationship between the government and the nation’s soccer governing body.
The vote is expected by many Indonesian soccer fans to be a watershed moment for reform, especially for a national association that has been roundly criticized for its entrenched system of patronage and mismanagement.
Newly elected chairman Erick was well aware that the new leadership and executive committee appointees would have to hit the ground running, as they look to pull off sweeping reforms amid a busy year.
“The work isn’t going to be easy; in 94 days’ time, we will host the U-20 World Cup. It is FIFA’s second-biggest event, and our nation’s pride is on the line,” Erick told reporters after his election win in Jakarta.
Indonesia is slated to host the global youth soccer tournament from May until June. A total of 24 countries, including the host nation, are set to compete in six cities across the country.
Analysts have noted the importance of the PSSI for the political ambitions of those competing for the top job, particularly with regard to the money that flows through the governing body and the influence that comes with managing one of the nation’s most popular sports.
Erick was seen as a shoo-in for chairman weeks ahead of the vote, but it was less clear for Zainudin, whose initial victory was negated by a revote before another candidate stepped aside to give the Cabinet minister his win. The Golkar Party politician will now serve in one of two deputy chairmanship positions alongside Ratu Tisha Destria, who previously served as the PSSI’s first female secretary-general.
