Assyabaab threatens to quit Liga Danhill championship
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