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.