Former PSSI chairman Kardono dies of cancer

Former PSSI chairman Kardono dies of cancer

Imanuddin Razak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chairman Kardono
died of cancer of the lymph gland early on Sunday morning. He was
75.

Kardono, who chaired the national soccer governing body from
1983 until 1991, had been in Pondok Indah Hospital in South
Jakarta for a week before dying of the malignant tumor, Antara
news agency reported.

He had earlier sought treatment in Singapore after doctors in
Jakarta had diagnosed his cancer.

Kardono, a retired Vice Marshal of the Air Force, is survived
by his wife A. Rochayatun, five children and 11 grandchildren.

During his leadership national soccer had several significant
achievements in the Asian region. The national team qualified for
the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, South Korea, and won the 1987
Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Jakarta and the 1991 SEA Games in
Manila, the Philippines.

Kardono also was involved in politics, serving at different
times as the Military Secretary to the president, the director-
general of air transportation at the Ministry of Transportation
and as a member of the People's Consultative Assembly, all during
the presidency of Soeharto.

After retiring from PSSI, he was active in a number of social
foundations, including the Yayasan Indonesia Hijau and the
Yayasan Sepak Bola Indonesia, which helps support retired
Indonesian soccer players.

Kardono was buried at the Kalibata National Heroes Cemetery in
South Jakarta on Sunday afternoon. Among those attending the
ceremony were several former Air Force chiefs of staff, including
Air Marshal (ret) Omar Dhani and Air Marshal (ret) Ashadi
Tjahjadi.