Kurniawan faces sanction over alleged drug use

Kurniawan faces sanction over alleged drug use

JAKARTA (JP): The Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) will
sanction Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto from PSM Makassar soccer club on
Friday after he failed to explain his alleged use of shabu-shabu
(crystal methamphetamine) last month.

The chairman of the association's disciplinary commission,
Andi Darussalam Tabusalla, said in Surabaya on Sunday he would
give Kurniawan one more opportunity to meet with the commission
before Friday to appeal the decision.

"We will send a letter to Kurniawan on Monday to ask him to
make his appeal before Friday, when we decide on the sanction,"
he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying. However, he did
not specify what sanction the commission would hand Kurniawan.

"I will treat this case fairly, although I have an attachment
to PSM. This drug case must be completely resolved if we want to
move ahead with the development of national soccer," he said.

Darussalam made the statement after meeting with Mursyid
Effendi from the Persebaya soccer club in the Regent Hotel in
Malang on Saturday night. The commission originally invited
Kurniawan and his teammate Kuncoro to attend the meeting to
explain themselves, but neither player showed.

Darussalam said he and other members of his team, including
PSSI medical commission head Sonny L. Tobing and anti-doping task
force secretary Eddi Elison, were only able to gather information
on the case from Mursyid, who arrived at the hotel with his
manager Karwoto and Hartono.

He said Mursyid insisted the shabu-shabu belonged to
Kurniawan. "We will accept Mursyid's confession and sanction
Kurniawan," Darussalam said.

He said he did not know why Kurniawan and Kuncoro failed to
appear at the hotel, but he suspected both players' intent was to
avoid the meeting.

Darussalam added that he had difficulty contacting PSM manager
Kadir Halid in Malang, where PSM was scheduled to play local team
Persema in their Bank Mandiri national soccer league match on
Sunday. "We're very disappointed with his attitude, which appears
to despise PSSI."

He accused PSM officials of not taking the drug case
seriously, even though it involved their players, adding that he
would ask PSSI chairman Agum Gumelar to take stern measure
against PSM.

Kuncoro admitted earlier this month that he took shabu-shabu
in the room he was sharing with Kurniawan at the Weta Hotel in
Surabaya prior to their match against Petrokimia Gresik on April
11.

Kuncoro said he was persuaded by Mursyid to take the drugs,
but Mursyid said it was Kurniawan who encouraged him to use the
shabu-shabu. Kurniawan has refuted Mursyid's statement. (ivy)