“There’s no official resignation yet, but [Zainudin] has informally conveyed [his intention to resign],” said Jokowi while visiting the Ciliwung River on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.com. “I will announce his replacement once he has tendered his official resignation.”

Zainudin and the rest of the PSSI leadership had met with the President at the State Palace on Monday to discuss their future plans to reform Indonesian soccer. Addressing reporters, Zainudin said the President had given him his blessing to focus on the new role in the PSSI, after the Golkar Party politician was appointed deputy chairman during the association’s extraordinary congress last week.

Golkar chairman Airlangga Hartarto said the party would wait for Jokowi’s instructions on Zainudin’s replacement because installing or removing a Cabinet member was the prerogative of the President.

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“Nonetheless, we have plenty of capable cadres that we can prepare [to fill the position],” said Airlangga on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.com.

Conflict of interest issues arose after Zainudin’s election, as the Youth and Sports Ministry is responsible for overseeing general sports development in the country, not just soccer. Newly elected PSSI chairman and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir also voiced this concern in a televised interview with journalist Najwa Shihab on Saturday.

Nevertheless, Zainudin will still have a lot on his plate as the PSSI outlines an ambitious reform plan with the ultimate goal of winning a World Cup hosting bid in the future.

“This means we must have a blueprint for [the 2040s], whether in terms of soccer programs, infrastructure, the national team or in overall development,” Erick said at the State Palace on Monday.

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Using India as an example, which Erick said had developed a blueprint for soccer development for the next two decades, the PSSI has recently revived an agency under the auspices of the national soccer team for the purpose of coming up with a long-term plan for Indonesian soccer development.

The PSSI has also formed an ad hoc committee on soccer infrastructure that is in charge of building a soccer training facility for the national team.

“In a couple of days, we’ll head to the [Nusantara new capital city site in East Kalimantan] to survey the location for the training center,” Erick said.

The PSSI chairman thanked the government for its support and noted that its cooperation was crucial in advancing Indonesian soccer.

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