AFC Fines PSSI Over Match Against Mali
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially imposed a fine on the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI). This sanction was given following a violation of administrative procedures in the organization of an international friendly match between the Indonesian U-23 team and the Mali national team, which took place last year.
Based on the official release issued on Thursday (February 26), PSSI is required to pay a fine of US$1,500, equivalent to approximately IDR 25 million.
The fine was imposed because PSSI was deemed negligent in fulfilling the provisions of the regulations for international matches as stipulated by the confederation.
“The Football Association of Indonesia is ordered to pay a fine of US$1,500 for violating Article 11.15 of the AFC Regulations governing international matches,” said the official statement from the AFC, as quoted from its official website.
The violation committed by PSSI relates to Article 11.15 regarding the organization of level 2 international matches.
In this point of the rule, federations are required to submit match notifications in a timely manner, especially if the match involves teams from two different confederations.
In this case, the Indonesian U-23 team played two friendly matches against the Mali national team on November 15 and 18, 2025.
Given that Indonesia is under the AFC (Asia) and Mali is under the CAF (Africa), administrative coordination between the confederations is an absolute requirement that must be met during the international break. However, PSSI reportedly failed to submit the official notification to the AFC regarding the series of matches.
This sanction adds to the list of PSSI’s disciplinary records at the beginning of 2026. This decision is the second fine received by the federation in the same month.
Previously, on February 9, the AFC had also imposed a much larger fine, namely US$14,000 or approximately IDR 230 million. The previous sanction was related to violations of the rules at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026.
Regarding the latest sanction due to the match against the Mali national team, the AFC has given PSSI a fairly strict deadline to immediately fulfill their obligations.
The federation is asked to complete the payment of the fine no later than 30 days after the decision is issued.
This case is an important warning for PSSI’s internal management to be more careful in managing the bureaucracy of international matches, especially those involving cross-confederations, in order to avoid financial losses or damage to its image in the eyes of the international football world. (Ant/Z-1)