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Jakarta Post

Frustration over RI soccer after defeats

Hugely disappointed with their national team’s 3-1 defeat to Vietnam in a 2022 World Cup qualifier, Indonesian soccer fans hold the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) accountable and are demanding the currently chiefless association take immediate action to solve the problems in national soccer

Dicky Christanto (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, October 18, 2019

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Frustration over RI soccer after defeats

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span>Hugely disappointed with their national team’s 3-1 defeat to Vietnam in a 2022 World Cup qualifier, Indonesian soccer fans hold the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) accountable and are demanding the currently chiefless association take immediate action to solve the problems in national soccer.

“We, as the fans, will go to all the people running for the chief PSSI seat and ask for their commitment to fix the problem. We are going to make public their promises so they will [follow through] as everyone watches,” Ignatius Indro, head of the National Team Supporters Association, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Indro also said the association had vowed to reject the PSSI’s annual report, which is to be presented at a special congress to be held on Nov. 2 to elect a new PSSI chief. With the national team’s four losses in a row, Indro added, the association simply had no reason to believe that the PSSI had gone all-out to improve the country’s soccer.

Before bowing to Vietnam, Indonesia was defeated 5-0 by the United Arab Emirates, 3-0 by Thailand and 3-2 by Malaysia in previous qualifiers. The Garuda squad suffered the dramatic 3-2 loss to Malaysia in its qualifier debut before a home crowd at the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta. The Malaysia-Indonesia match was also marred by fans brawling, sparked by disappointment over their team’s loss.

Under new manager Simon McMenemy, Indonesia is scheduled to play a total of eight matches in Group G of the Asian qualifiers. After the fourth match, Indonesia sits at the bottom of the table, while Thailand leads with two wins. In the remaining matches, Indonesia will play in Malaysia on Nov. 19, in Thailand on March 28, in Vietnam on June 4; and it will host the United Arab Emirates on March 31.

Save Our Soccer coordinator Akmal Marhali also voiced concern over the PSSI’s current shape, which he deemed not in line with the spirit of reform. Akmal acknowledged that he was quite pessimistic about the PSSI’s ability to up its game, as it was still carrying with it people likely to corrupt it from the inside.

“All PSSI voters should bring people of integrity and persistence to the surface, so they could get rid of corrupt people from the PSSI. This will be the only way,” Akmal said in a talk show held by public broadcaster TVRI recently.

A controversial figure within the PSSI is La Nyalla Mahmud Matalitti, who currently serves as Regional Representatives Council (DPD) speaker. La Nyalla led the soccer association from 2015 to 2016, replacing Djohar Arifin. However, La Nyalla was replaced as soon as he was named a suspect by the East Java Prosecutor’s Office over a graft case, in which the Jakarta Corruption Court, however, declared the former East Java Trade Chamber head not guilty in 2016.

“I don’t see anything wrong with holding a new responsibility as PSSI chief [while] serving as DPD speaker. I will invite all DPD members to promote and push our soccer together,” he said.

North Sumatra Governor Eddy Rahmayadi resigned as PSSI chief earlier this year amid strong public criticism over his performance.

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