Rabu 12 Dec 2012 19:07 WIB

Indonesia sets up a team to anticipate FIFA sanction

Rep: M Akbar Widjaya/Satya Festiani/Satria Yudha/Umi Lailatul/ Red: Yeyen Rostiyani

Foto: Antara/Prasetyo Utomo

Indonesian supporters during a football match. (illustration)

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Indonesian government forms a joint task force to tackle rivalry within national football association. Led by Rita Subowo, the joint task force has a mission to prevent FIFA sanction. Subowo promised that the team would lobby FIFA to revoke the possibility of sanction for Indonesia.

The mission is also tasked to solve rivalries within national football association. She hopes the joint task force is able to solve never ending conflict between two rivals, The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and the Indonesian Soccer Rescue Committee (KPSI).

"We will cooperate with the government to tackle the issue," she said on the press release on Tuesday.

Both PSSI and KPSI responded positively on the joint team formation. Head of PSSI, Djohar Arifin Husin, vowed to help the government solving the problems. So did KPSI.

Based on FIFA regulation, sanction imposed to a country brings some consequences that includes a ban to participate in international event. Earlier, the Secretary General of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, has asked Indonesian Government to solve the rivalry in Indonesian football association.

In the official letter, FIFA urged Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports to take some necessary measures. The letter also warned Indonesia about FIFA sanction if all parties failed to solve the problems by December 10. Now after the reconcilliation has failed, the future of Indonesia football will be discussed in Executive Committee Meeting of FIFA in Tokyo, Japan, next Friday.

A member of Indonesian House of Representatives, Dedy Gumelar, urged government to sanction PSSI and KPSI as both were considered pursuing their own interests. He said that government could freeze both PSSI and KPSI.

Indonesian football players also condemn the rivalry in the association. The Head of Indonesian Professional Footballers Association (APPI), Ponaryo Astaman, said the problem crushed the players' dream to compete in international level since FIFA meant that Indonesia could only play amateur football. Astaman firmly said that PSSI and KPSI must responsible for such mess.