Govt will ban soccer league if necessary
Govt will ban soccer league if necessary
JAKARTA (JP): The government will suspend the on-going national soccer league if spectator hooliganism continues, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said yesterday.
Speaking at the meeting with the All Indonesia Football Association (PSSI), Hayono said that the suspension would be taken to give both soccer administrators and fans time to regain the order.
"The government will have to take anticipatory action if hooliganism remains a trend," Hayono was quoted by his assistant Imam Suyudi as saying.
Hayono, who failed to attend the press conference which followed the one-and-a-quarter hour talk with the PSSI officials, assured fans that "soccer will not be banned and nobody can eliminate soccer from the country."
The PSSI Secretary General Soeparjo Pontjowinoto, the league's administrator Agum Gumelar and the PSSI's official in charge of the national team, Nirwan Bakrie, were also present at the meeting, which was held behind closed doors. The sports figures gathered at the PSSI secretariat for a fast breaking.
Hayono gave the PSSI a rap over the knuckles with his threat to stop the three-month league, which comes after the death of Surabaya supporter Suhermansyah during a riot after a Persebaya- PSIM match at the Mandala Krida stadium, Yogyakarta, on Jan. 28. Suhermansyah, a 40-year-old father of three was trampled to death. He was the first person to die as a result of sport- related violence in Indonesia's history.
But Hayono's absence from the press conference clearly disappointed a throng of journalists who had expected to hear him elaborate on his controversial remarks. "Let the PSSI explain the outcome of our discussion," said Hayono before getting into a waiting car.
Soeparjo acted as Hayono's spokesman during the conference.
Agum, whose relaxed posture managed to cool down the disappointed journalists, said that the PSSI accepted Hayono's criticism with pleasure. He said the PSSI was preparing further steps to prevent such a riot from happening again.
"A suspension is no longer necessary since the league has a month of rest due to the fasting month," said Agum. He agreed that suspending the league would be suspended only as a last resort.
"The PSSI has been making every effort to curb hooliganism," he said, adding that the national soccer body would be planning future cooperation with local security forces during the one- month break.
He said that on the basis of its investigation into the Yogyakarta incident, the PSSI was deliberating on punitive measures to be taken against both Persebaya and PSIM for their failure to keep order at the match.
"Sanctions will be announced on Thursday," Agum said. However, he refused to disclose what the punishment would be. "Please be patient. Remember that this is the holy fasting month," he said.
Agum indicated that according to PSSI rules, the soccer body could ban a club from competition, remove a match to a neutral site or order a host team to stage a match at an empty site. "In short, sanctions are aimed to educate, not to destroy the guilty club," he said. (amd)