By Andrew Warshaw
May 7 – FIFA have given Indonesia a final ultimatum to resolve a bitter internal row or risk being thrown out of international competition because of government interference.
Last week, the Asian Football Confederation Congress did not publicly discuss the affair but it proves once again just how rancous footballing disputes can be in the region.
FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke has already written once to the Indonesia sports minister requesting the Indonesian Football Association, known by its Indonesian acronym PSSI, manage its affairs “independently and without influence of any third parties”.
The ministry and PSSI have been at loggerheads for weeks over the eligibility of two clubs to compete in the Indonesia Super League due to ownership issues.
The ministry has since frozen all PSSI activities in defiance of FIFA and Valcke has now sent follow-up correspondence to the PSSI warning of an immediate suspension if the government does not back down by May 29.
The Jakarta Post quoted the letter as saying that “should all actions taken by the ministry… not be withdrawn by May 29, 2015, then we will have no other option but to refer this matter to the appropriate FIFA body for an immediate suspension.”
“Given the seriousness of this matter, we strongly recommend that you disseminate this correspondence to Menpora (the ministry) … as a matter of urgency and strongly encourage them to find a solution.”
Whether or not by coincidence, the May 29 deadline is the same day as the FIFA presidential elections in Zurich, where Sepp Blatter is seeking for a fifth term.
Despite being suspended by the government, the PSSI elected a new chief La Nyalla Mattalitti (pictured) last month.
La Nyalla attended the AFC Congress in Bahrain and said Valcke’s latest letter had been copied to the Indonesian Olympic Committee and to the country’s President.
The Jakarta Post said La Nyalla had failed to meet the sports minister on three occasions but that he is nevertheless is keen to find a solution.
“If not, we will be sanctioned and we won’t be able to compete in the upcoming (Southeast Asian) Games… as well as the 2018 World Cup qualifying games,” he was quoted as saying.
The FIFA ultimatum is the latest move in a row that first erupted when the PSSI halted the country’s top-flight league due to a disagreement over the participation of two clubs.
The ministry then froze all activities of the PSSI who have the support of FIFA and insist they are in charge of football in Indonesia which has for years been beset by infighting and corruption.
A sports ministry spokesman told reporters that the government was “very anxious and very serious in overcoming this problem” and conceded a ban would mean Indonesia missing out on playing in competitions such as the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Cup.
However he argued that the effort to get rid of the PSSI was an attempt to improve the domestic game.
“This is part of making improvements. Just because the government has been threatened by FIFA, it does not want improvements which have been on the right track to slide backwards,” he told reporters.
He added the government would send a reply to FIFA’s letter in the coming days setting out their position, and if that failed to have the desired effect, Indonesian officials would travel to FIFA to personally meet Blatter.
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