FIFA sanctions and pandemic caused Indonesian clubs to struggle in Asia

Jakarta (ANTARA) - I.League Commercial Director Sadikin Aksa has revealed that the FIFA suspension and the COVID-19 pandemic are the reasons Indonesian clubs have struggled to compete in Asian club competitions in recent years.

“If you ask why clubs in Southeast Asia are more advanced? They did not face a ban (FIFA suspension) and did not face the Covid problem. They continued to operate during Covid. And the ban was the heaviest thing we felt, the FIFA ban. They did not experience that,” Sadikin said at the PSSI Pers Water Break event “Taking the League to the Next Level” at the I.League office in Jakarta on Monday.

According to him, when there were changes to AFC regulations, other Southeast Asian clubs followed them.

“At that time, we wanted to follow but got hit with the ban (sanctions). In the end, the mindset of our clubs, if asked, is that we have only really been able to transform properly in the last three years,” he added.

Sadikin said Indonesian football’s achievements in Asia cannot be compared, such as Persipura Jayapura, which once reached the AFC Cup semi-finals, but until now no club has followed in the footsteps of the Black Pearl.

This season, Indonesia is represented by Persib in the AFC Champions League Two and Borneo FC in the AFC Challenge League (third tier).

I.League has confirmed its support for Indonesian clubs competing in Asian competitions, with scheduling and financial support.

“Later, changes (to the schedule) will occur when they reach the round of 16, or the final, for example. There will definitely be further adjustments… we will certainly accommodate those clubs,” he concluded.