By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – FIFA has given Indonesia one final chance to put its house in order in what President Sepp Blatter described as a “Christmas gift”.
Football in Indonesia has been plagued by infighting between the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) and the breakaway Indonesian Soccer Rescue Committee (KPSI), who want control of the sport in the country.
FIFA had threatened to suspend Indonesia if the dispute is not resolved, forcing the Government to appoint a five-person task force to quickly diffuse the issue.
FIFA had given PSSI a December 10 deadline to reconcile its differences with KPSI, which runs a rebel league, but Blatter told a news conference Indonesia would now be given an extension.
“I think it was quite a Christmas or end of year gift to Indonesia that they haven’t been suspended,” Blatter explained.
The two factions have failed to unite despite signing a Memorandum of Understanding in June vowing to bring Indonesian football under one umbrella.
“It has been two years now, two years that they have tried to put together the two parts of the football organisations, but they couldn’t do it,” Blatter said.
“They have asked for another three months to be given, until March next year, and also the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) was advocating that.
“Can you imagine that in Indonesia they have two groups directing football.
“They have a league but the players of that league cannot play in the national team.
“Something is wrong.
“Since 2011 we have tried to bring together these two different halves of Indonesian football.
“We have given [them] until the next meeting of the [FIFA] Executive Committee on the 20th and 21st of March next year to bring their house in order.”
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