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Army general Edy Rahmayadi elected as new PSSI chief
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New chairman: Lt. Gen. Edy Rahmayadi is elected chairman of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) during a congress in Jakarta on Thursday. Edy, commander of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), won 76 out of 107 votes during the election. (Antara/Wahyu Putro A)
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t. Gen. Edy Rahmayadi took the helm of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) on Thursday after winning big in an electoral congress in Jakarta.
“It is just the beginning. The victory is for [Indonesian] soccer,” Edy, the commander of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), said after being elected.
Edy won support from 76 of the 107 legitimate voters, beating five other candidates during the voting that took place at the Mercure Hotel in Ancol, North Jakarta. Three candidates — Erwin Aksa, Tony Apriliani and Djohar Arifin Husin — withdrew their candidacies prior to the voting.
Edy’s strongest competitor, Gen. (ret.) Moeldoko, collected 23 votes.
Edy, who will be aided by deputy chiefs Joko Driyono and Iwan Budianto, vowed to start working immediately on his packed agenda for his 2016 to 2020 tenure.
“The AFF [ASEAN Football Federation] Cup is around the corner. We’re also getting closer to the 2017 Southeast Asian Games and, of course, the 2018 Asian Games.
“In 2024, [we also plan to put an] under-23 national team into [the final round] of the Olympic Games,” said the 55-year-old.
In order to reach the 2024 target, Indonesia needs to catch up, especially in regeneration, as the country’s soccer, currently at 179th in world ranking — the lowest in its history — has been going nowhere in Asia, let alone on the world stage.
The former Bukit Barisan 1 military commander, who is currently president director of the Indonesian Military (TNI) soccer club, said he would seriously work on a grooming program for young players in three categories: 15, 17 and 19 year olds.
The grooming camps are set to be grouped into a western part that covers Sumatra, a central part for Java and Kalimantan and an eastern part for Bali, East and West Nusa Tenggaras, Maluku, Sulawesi and Papua.
The upcoming regular soccer leagues, he said, would also be organized based on those regional divisions.
“I’m going to bring back sportsmanship to the games,” said Edy.
The PSSI has become a notorious sports federation linked to numerous scandals, including corruption and match-fixing, as well as poor managerial ability in handling clubs, players and fans.
In a recent case, the PSSI received a one-year ban from the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) in 2015 and 2016 as a result of disputes between the association and the Youth and Sports Ministry.
The disputes were mainly caused by internal conflicts between the PSSI and its members, forcing the sports ministry to suspend the organization, which later triggered FIFA’s ban of the sports federation from international events. FIFA lifted the ban as soon as the sports minister restored the PSSI’s status.
In the new era under Edy’s leadership, the PSSI is expected to carry on with its reformation program, which highlights transparency and accountability.
Sports Ministry spokesman Gatot S. Dewa Broto said he hoped the new PSSI chief would be able to implement a successful development program for young players, as well as show an ability to control supporters, among other programs.
As a soccer-frenzied nation, Indonesia has seen deadly rivalries between soccer club fans.
Outside the congress site, hundreds of “bonek”, fanatic fans of the now-defunct Persebaya 1927 soccer club of East Java, staged a protest against the congress as the event failed to allow the club to return to national competitions.
