By David Gold
October 17 – The Indonesian Football League is in turmoil despite narrowly avoiding a ban from all Asian competitions when its new season got underway this weekend, with a new threat to issue a two-year suspension over its head.
Fourteen of the 24 teams in the top division in the country are boycotting the league as a result of disagreements over funding and management.
As well as wanting the league’s previous administrator reinstated, the 14 clubs refusing to play games want the competition reduced to 18 teams and a subsidy in excess of $200,000 (£127,000/€145,000) per year.
Following a meeting last week, they have threatened to set up a breakaway league, and the prospect of the new season being postponed had led to the possibility of the country being banned from continental competitions by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
A 1-1 draw between Persib Bandung and Semen Padang had meant the league fulfilled the requirement to begin on time, but it was reported that the competition was on a hiatus following the match.
The AFC has now set the league a deadline of this weekend to continue matches or face a two-year ban, the Jakarta Globe claim.
It is the latest problem facing Indonesian football after a troubling year in which former Football Association chief Nurdin Halid was ousted.
FIFA stepped in to intervene after one of their members was prevented from attending an election in March, and they therefore set up a normalisation committee to oversee the country’s football while new elections were organised.
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