Limited access for foreign players in Indonesia league

JAKARTA (JP): The All Indonesia Football Federation (PSSI) will only give foreign players limited access to Liga Indonesia, the country's brand new soccer league, at least for this season, an official says.

"This decision is valid for the 1994/95 season which starts in September," said Agum Gumelar, chair of the Amateur League of the PSSI Tuesday.

After weeks of debate, PSSI launched Liga Indonesia early last month as the only semi-professional soccer league comprising 33 football clubs in its first division.

Liga Indonesia is being formed to serve as the melting point of all the 17 clubs registered in the semi-pro Galatama league, 16 of the primary division teams in the amateur Perserikatan league and 16 teams of the latter's first division.

Agum, also a one-star general and commander of the Army's elite red-beret troops, also said that only the Galatama clubs are allowed to hire foreign players.

"This season the Perserikatan clubs will still have amateur status so they cannot hire anyone foreign or local," he added firmly.

Agum's statement indicated that all the claims of the Liga Indonesia being a melting pot are questionable because different policies are apparently still practiced by the PSSI.

Proponents of the formation of Liga Indonesia have claimed that Perserikatan players in practice are no longer amateur for they have allegedly received financial compensation from the clubs.

"I do not rule out the possibility that things might change next season," Agum said adding that the new league might adopt different policies next year.

The general also said that PSSI is still searching for sponsors and promoters for the launching of the new league in September. (hdj)