T

he management of four-time Indonesia champion Persipura Jayapura announced Friday the dismissal of the team in a clear message about its refusal to play in a government-operated league.

'€œToday, June 5, 2015, the management dismisses the Persipura Jayapura team until Kemenpora [the Youth and Sports Ministry] lifts its suspension of PSSI [the Soccer Association of Indonesia],'€ club president Benhur Tommy Mano, who is also Jayapura'€™s mayor, said at Hotel Grand Abe, Abepura, Jayapura, on Friday.

He said the club'€™s obligation to the players would be finalized immediately with non-Indonesian members to be sent home to their respective countries.

Following FIFA'€™s sanction '€” which banned Indonesia from international competitions due to the ministry'€™s move to suspend the PSSI, seen by FIFA as inappropriate governmental meddling '€” the ministry, through its transitional board, plans to organize a soccer competition.

'€œPersipura will not play in a competition not affiliated with FIFA and the AFC [Asian Football Confederation], including a competition run by the transitional board,'€ Tommy said.

Persipura was going to play Pahang FA in an AFC Cup game on May 26 but the match fell through as the Malaysian club aborted its trip because its non-Malaysian players were denied entry visas to Indonesia.

Minister Imam Nahrawi has since promised Persipura he would lobby The AFC to reschedule the match.

Tommy was skeptical: '€œThe AFC does not accept government envoys but [rather] federation [envoys]. If Menpora [Youth and Sports Minister] went there it would be rejected. What he does will be useless,'€ Tommy said.

After finishing last season as a runner-up to Persib Bandung, Persipura was upbeat about upping its game, boosted by Rp 36 billion (US$2.7 million) in sponsorship funds from PT Freeport Indonesia and PT Bank Papua.