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oncerns over the ability of Indonesian soccer clubs to submit administrative documents as a requirement for their participation in the 2015 Indonesian Super League (ISL) have left the planned kickoff hanging in the balance.

According to an official with the Youth and Sports Ministry in charge of development and partnership, Gatot S. Dewa Broto, of the 18 clubs in the Indonesian premier league, three were categorized as ineligible for the tournament as of Tuesday.

Pelita Bandung Raya (PBR), Arema Cronus and Persebaya Surabaya have yet to fulfill the requirements pertaining to business permits, payment of players'€™ and coach'€™s salaries, tax obligations and agreements.

Gede Widiade, a representative of Persebaya, said the team had handed over all the required documents and expressed his optimism about its qualifications for the league.

'€œWe handed over the documents a few days ago,'€ he told The Jakarta Post.

PBR was reported to be on the brink of bankruptcy, which had prompted some managers of the West Java-based club to resign. It was also reported that the players had not received pay for months.

The Indonesian Professional Sports Body (BOPI), an arm of the ministry overseeing professional sports, previously rejected its recommendation for the league on account of the failure by a number of the clubs to fulfill administrative requirements, prompting kickoff postponement from Feb. 20 to April 4.

Only three teams '€” Sriwijaya FC, Persib Bandung and Persipura '€” were eligible for the league. They were categorized as the '€œA'€ teams.

Nine teams were included in the B category as they had met up to 70 percent of requirements while six teams were in C category as they had yet to submit even 50 percent of the required documents.

'€œBOPI reports to the [sports] minister daily. To date, the verification process is still ongoing. This week will be crucial for the teams as BOPI will make a decision and issue a recommendation on whether the ISL will still kick off on April 4 with whichever teams that qualify or announce another delay until all the teams meet the requirements,'€ Gatot said.

BOPI is expected to make its final decision on March 28.

'€œNo matter how many teams qualify, the ISL will still kick off on April 4,'€ said BOPI chairman Noor.

There was no immediate comment from PT. Liga Indonesia, the organizer of the ISL.

The government hopes to use this season to improve Indonesian soccer as it has been marred by disputes and controversies.

Earlier this year, Persik Kediri and Persiwa Wamena were relegated from the ISL competition due to financial woes, leaving only 18 teams to be verified further.

Financial problems faced by teams often causes players to struggle to make ends meet.

In 2012, Diego Mendieta, a Paraguayan soccer player who played for Persis Solo, died of cytomegalovirus in Surakarta, Central Java, without money to pay for his hospital bills because he had not been paid for months.

In 2013, dozens of PSMS Medan soccer players staged a protest at the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) headquarters in Jakarta after 10 unpaid months.

Goalkeeper of Sriwijaya FC Dian Agus Prasetyo said that the verification process helped protect professional soccer players in Indonesia.

'€œClubs cannot treat their players haphazardly. There are many clubs who turn a blind eye [to their players'€™ rights] and do not pay players for months, especially at the end of the [tournament] season,'€ he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

On the other hand, the delay could result in extra expenses for the clubs as they will have to extend the contracts of players and adjust training schedules.

'€œThe bright side of the delay is that it would improve competition, but hopefully there won'€™t be any more delays,'€ said Semen Padang club coach Nil Maizar.