Local striker offered contract in Germany

Local striker offered contract in Germany

JAKARTA (JP): German first division soccer club Borussia
Munchengladbach is seeking to sign young Indonesian striker
Bambang Pamungkas to its squad.

All-Indonesian Soccer Federation (PSSI) chairman Agum Gumelar
said on Wednesday he would allow 18-year-old Bambang to play in
German's professional league.

"We warmly welcome the offer. We'll allow our players to join
European leagues as long as the correct procedures are followed,"
he said.

Agum said the German club had not yet mentioned the amount of
the transfer fee.

Bambang was invited to join the training at the national
training center for the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in
Brunei Darussalam in August. Agum said PSSI would announce which
25 players would be included on the SEA Games team next week.

Bambang is familiar to European soccer talent scouts. He was
invited to tryouts held by Dutch first division club Roda
Kerkrade earlier this year. The results of the tryout were never
announced and Bambang was sent back to Indonesia.

He is now taking part in juniors competitions in Malaysia and
Hong Kong with Indonesia's pre-Olympics team. The national team
will arrive in South Korea to compete in the 2000 Olympics
prequalification tournament on May 26.

Bambang, a third-year high school student in Salatiga, Central
Java, was groomed at the Salatiga training center. He played for
local club Persikas in the Semarang regency.

Agum also said PSSI would hold a seminar on soccer competition
in Indonesia.

The one-day seminar will take place on May 15 at Hotel
Indonesia. National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar
is expected to give the keynote speech.

Agum said he would speak at the seminar, along with managing
editor of Kompas daily Suryopratomo and secretary-general of the
Southeast Asia Football Federation Datuk Paul Mony.

He said he also expected soccer observer and North Sulawesi
Governor Evert Ernest Mangindaan to address the seminar.

"We want to know the aspirations of local fans for the future
of Indonesian soccer. We want to accommodate their views. We will
consider all our decisions to be the will of the majority of
soccer fans. PSSI will not make decisions on its own," he said.

Agum said the seminar would be free and soccer fans were
invited to attend. (ivy)