By Andrew Warshaw
March 14 – The international players union FIFPro has issued a damning indictment of the dysfunctional nature of Indonesian football, saying nothing had changed since the tragic death in December of Paraguayan player Diego Mendieta.
Poor management, unpaid wages and corruption allegations have plagued the Indonesian game which hit a new low when Mendieta, who was married with two children and was owed four months’ wages by the Persis Solo club and could not afford medical treatment, died from a viral infection.
This coming Sunday, the two rival bodies battling for control of Indonesian football, the FIFA-sanctioned Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) and the breakaway Indonesian Soccer Rescue Committee (KPSI), are due to hold a joint meeting – three days before a final deadline set by world football’s governing body to clean up their act or face severe sanctions.
FIFPro has now waded into the dispute with a passionate plea to FIFA, saying unpaid salaries had become the norm. “For more than two years, enormous chaos has ruled in Indonesian professional football. There are two rival football associations, two professional leagues and even two national teams,” it said. “Above all, there is a horrifying number of professional footballers who have not received any salary from their club for months on end.”
“It is now March and nothing has changed. Clubs are still neglecting to pay their players the salary they have earned. The club Persis Solo has not even been punished. FIFPro urges FIFA and president Blatter to intervene decisively in Indonesia. How long must people wait? Must another player die before anything happens?”
With two domestic leagues fighting for control, Indonesia had a disastrous 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, losing all six matches including a 4-0 loss to Qatar and a 10-0 defeat by Bahrain which resulted in suspicions of match-fixing.
The professional footballers’ associations of Indonesia (APPI) say part of the problem is that players are just too scared to report wrongdoing.
“In reality, far more teams are not paying their players,” says APPI General Manager Valentino Simanjuntak. “At some clubs, players are afraid to report the non-payment. At others, footballers have received only a fraction of their outstanding salaries. These clubs transfer money to the player’s bank account without any agreement or explanation. Unfortunately, many footballers dare not to speak up and accept the incomplete payments. We are also informed about clubs who have offered termination contracts to their players paying only 2 months and 20% of salary out of the 4 to 7 months they owe their footballers…”
“Many players are afraid and confused. They are afraid that they will be sanctioned by their club if they take action. Besides, both leagues are trying to prevent players from communicating with APPI. As a consequence, the players lack solidarity in the fight for their rights.”
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