Assyabaab threatens to quit Liga Danhill championship

JAKARTA (JP): A row over a disciplinary measure taken against an Assyabaab SGS player heated up on the eve of the Indonesian soccer league quarterfinals yesterday, with the Surabaya-based club threatening to pull out of the competition.

Assyabaab team manager H. Susanto told reporters yesterday that the club would drop its controversial maneuver if the All- Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) was willing to revise the sentence it had passed on Gunung Ginting.

"It's not just an empty bluff. I can't stop my players from expressing their solidarity with their teammate by boycotting the competition," Susanto said.

Assyabaab, third in the Eastern Division, will play its first match against Medan Jaya tomorrow.

PSSI's disciplinary commission banned Ginting on Friday for an undecided period, following a brawl with Agus of PSIS Semarang in their match on May 30 in Surabaya. The two players were shown red cards, which meant a three-match suspension for each of them.

"This is not fair. Why did the commission give an extra sentence to my boy even though the brawl involved two parties," Susanto said.

PSSI, however, stayed cool in response to the threat. "The show must go on, despite the absence of a participant," Max Boboy, who is responsible for the league's competition affairs, said.

Group B

"I'm sure we can settle the case after thorough deliberations and Assyabaab will be willing to step onto the pitch," Boboy said.

Assyabaab, Medan Jaya, Petrokimia Putra and Persib Bandung line up the Group B during the round-robin quarterfinal matches which kick off today.

Group A will see a struggle between Pelita Jaya, Bandung Raya, Pupuk Kaltim and Barito Putra. The best two teams of each group will advance to the cross-over semifinals on July 27. The final will be held on July 30.

The league promises an earlier thriller when a big match pitting Pelita against Pupuk raises the curtain for the quarterfinals at the Senayan stadium.

The East Kalimantan side serves as a real test for pre- tournament favorite Pelita which is bidding for a place in the Asia Champions Cup competition next season. Pupuk finished second in the Eastern Division with 57 points from its 32 matches.

Pelita, spurred by Cameroon soccer magician Roger Milla, sealed its Western Division matches with an 1-1 draw against Persib Bandung over the weekend, strengthening its stranglehold over the massive league.

After grueling round-robin matches since November last year, Pelita amassed 77 points to outshine the other 33 teams. The Jakarta club also carries the best goal scoring record, converting 78 and conceding 25.

The other match today pits Bandung Raya against Barito Putra, which clinched its berth to Senayan in the last minutes at the expense of last year's League Cup champion Gelora Dewata. Barito beat a helpless PSM Ujungpandang 2-1 on Monday. (amd)

Fixtures July 19: Pelita Jaya v Pupuk Kaltim

Bandung Raya v Barito Putra July 20: Petrokimia Putra v Persib Bandung

Assyabaab v Medan Jaya July 21: Pupuk Kaltim v Barito Putra

Pelita Jaya v Bandung Raya July 22: Persib Bandung v Medan Jaya

Petrokimia Putra v Assyabaab July 23: Pupuk Kaltim v Bandung Raya

Pelita Jaya v Barito Putra July 24: Persib Bandung v Assyabaab

Petrokimia Putra v Medan Jaya July 27: Semifinals July 30: Final