Panasia's punishment to be reviewed
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi) chairman Sutiyoso said he would review the proposed sanction against Bandung-based Panasia Indosyntec for refusing to appear on Dec. 5 in the final match to decide the third and fourth places of the A Mild Kobatama national basketball league.
Sutiyoso said he would not bar Panasia from competing in the 2000 Kobatama for one year as earlier proposed by Perbasi officials in charge of Kobatama.
"I will review the proposed sanction. It should aim at educating the club, not end their existence. A one-year suspension is too long for a club which has national players."
"Moreover, Panasia is a favorite club in Bandung," he said after meeting with 1999 Kobatama champion Mahaka Satria Muda (SM) of Jakarta at his office on Wednesday.
Perbasi recommended that Panasia be barred from competing in the league for one year and be penalized a maximum Rp 10 million (US$1,408).
Panasia threatened to quit Kobatama after an incident on Dec. 4 when they played against SM in the semifinal match at the Senayan indoor stadium.
The incident followed a decision by referee Hadi Wasito to give an outball to Panasia, which was reversed after SM protested. Hadi altered his decision after a brief review with match supervisor Setia Dharma Madjid, and decided on a jump ball.
Panasia skipped the final match and was ranked fourth after Aspac of Jakarta. Should Panasia perform in the 2001 Kobatama, they would be ranked 10th.
Sutiyoso, a retired three-star general who is also the Jakarta governor, said he had spoken to the two-time Kobatama champion.
"I phoned the club owner and he was very surprised. I asked him to avoid making any decision while emotions were high. I asked him to think clearly and to act properly so the club, which has been the pride of the West Java community, could continue to exist," he said.
"This is not a big problem, it's about a club's prestige. It's common in a competition. A competition result might not satisfy all competitors," he added.
After a meeting with Perbasi executive director Sri Sudono Sumarto last week, Panasia's owner Awong Hidjaja decided that he would not dissolve the club.
Sutiyoso expressed hope that Panasia would perform in the Kobatama.
"I think they want to come back. I received a positive respond when I invited the club to compete again in Kobatama. As a chairman, I will not be too rigid in applying the rules. But it's impossible for me to nullify the proposed sanction," he said.
He also said he would improve the quality of national referees through courses. "We will invite professional referees from overseas to give brief courses."
During a meeting with SM, Sutiyoso expressed hope that the team members could represent Jakarta in the 15th National Games (PON) in Surabaya, East Java, next year.
"I'm proud of Mahaka, which has improved Jakarta's basketball in national sports. I want the best sports in Jakarta, basketball and soccer, to win the overall title in PON," said Sutiyoso, also chairman of Jakarta's soccer club Persija.
He said he would help SM get their own stadium.
"We will provide the land and they will build their own stadium," he said, adding that he had offered the club sites either in East or North Jakarta.(ivy)