Indonesian Mursyid banned for life

Indonesian Mursyid banned for life

BEIRUT (Agencies): Indonesian soccer player Mursyid Effendy has been banned for life for scoring an own goal that made a mockery of a Tiger Cup match pitting his team against Thailand in August, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Friday.

However the AFC, which conducted the draw for the 2000 Asian Cup here on Friday, lifted the international ban on Thailand and Indonesia following the match in which both played to lose.

The AFC decision came as a relief for Thailand which will host the Asian Games in December. Indonesia has already announced that it is pulling out of the Asiad soccer contest.

In that farcical match, defender Mursyid kicked the ball into his own net in the dying seconds to give Indonesia a desirable 2- 3 loss.

Thailand and Indonesia disputed a Tiger Cup match in Ho Chi Minh City on Aug. 31 that neither wanted to win because both teams were anxious to avoid playing host Vietnam in the semifinal. Both Thailand and Indonesia lost in the semifinals.

Singapore emerged the winner after beating Vietnam 1-0 in the final. Indonesia defeated Thailand on penalties in the playoff for the third place.

The All Indonesia Soccer Federation had banned Mursyid from international matches for one year but allowed him to carry on his domestic jobs.

A probe into the case conducted by the federation found that Mursyid and his teammates were confused about the strategy picked by their coach and manager, who admitted they did not want Indonesia to win the match.

Both teams were initially fined US$40,000. Indonesia's fine was reduced to $20,000 but lost its prizemoney it took for finishing third in the biennial tournament.

Amid a public outcry over the bizarre performance, Thailand's team manager Thirachai Wutthitham and his Indonesian counterpart Andrie Amien resigned. Andrie was also suspended from any international duties for two years.