A soccer watchdog on Monday shed light on a possible graft case involving the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and reported it to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), urging the antigraft body to launch a probe into the organization
soccer watchdog on Monday shed light on a possible graft case involving the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and reported it to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), urging the antigraft body to launch a probe into the organization.
In its report to the KPK, the watchdog, which calls itself the Anti-Corruption Soccer Supporters Group (KORUPSSI), accused the country's soccer body, which is currently suspended by the government, of misusing a total budget of around Rp 24 billion (US$1.8 Million) intended to devise soccer support programs by not making any final reports on how the budget was spent.
'Between 2010 and the 2013 fiscal year, the Sport and Youths Ministry disbursed a total of Rp 20 billion to the PSSI, which so far has not submitted any report on the use of the funds. There is also a Rp 400 million budget for early childhood training programs and as much as Rp 3.5 billion was also disbursed for the PSSI congress,' Parto Pangaribuan of the KORUPSSI told reporters at the KPK headquarters before filing the report on Monday.
Following Monday's submission, Parto said that the group would visit the KPK again to submit additional documents in the near future confirming the graft practices at the PSSI, including the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) audit on the PSSI's budget.
'We will also bring other evidence, such as contract documents between the PSSI and local TV stations on broadcasting rights for the domestic league, as well as contracts between the PSSI and a number of sponsor institutions. We also have evidence on the ticket selling programs,' Parto added.
Parto added that the budget was disbursed during the tenure of former sports and youth minister Andi Mallarangeng, who was prosecuted by the KPK in another graft case, as well as during that of Andi's successor Roy Suryo, who is a politician of the Democratic Party, in which Andi was also a senior politician.
The group additionally accused the PSSI of misusing the state budget with regards to the implementation of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup in 2011.
With the support of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, the Youth and Sports Ministry has suspended the PSSI because of accusations of unfair practices and corruption.
Minister Imam Nachrawi imposed the suspension on April 17 after the PSSI refused to disqualify two 'legally flawed' clubs from the Indonesian Super League (ISL), as recommended by the ministry-sanctioned Indonesian Professional Sports Body (BOPI).
On May 13, the ministry set up a transition team, which is led by former KPK commissioner Bibit Samad Rianto, to implement reforms in the country's soccer body.
Disapproving of the government's intervention in the PSSI, FIFA (world soccer's governing body) has banned Indonesia from international competitions since the end of last month.
Responding to the group's report on the PSSI, acting KPK deputy chairman Johan Budi said on Monday that the antigraft body would first study the allegations to confirm the validity of the data presented by the group.
'We respond to every report we receive from NGOs regarding graft allegations. We will study the report first before making any further move,' Johan told reporters at the KPK headquarters on Monday night.
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