Players await upshot of own goal shame
Players await upshot of own goal shame
JAKARTA (JP): The All Indonesian Soccer Federation (PSSI) will announce on Tuesday the punishment for Mursyid Effendy and Kuncoro for an intentional own goal in a Tiger Cup group match against Thailand last week.
PSSI secretary-general Nugraha Besoes guaranteed the punitive measures were not intended to end the careers of the players.
"We will definitely punish them just to educate them. We won't kill them, because we know we can develop their talents," Nugraha was quoted as saying by Antara news agency on Monday.
Mursyid netted the ball into his team's goal from a defensive pass from Kuncoro. The goal gave Thailand an unwanted 3-2 win and a semifinal meeting with host Vietnam.
Both Indonesia and Thailand were fined US$40,000 each by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). Both have appealed.
The two arch-rivals lost in the semifinals and played a rematch for the third place, which was won by Indonesia on penalties. Singapore clinched the cup by beating Vietnam 1-0.
Nugraha said the punishment for the two defenders was recommended by the AFF. "Deliberately or not, they have been found guilty of violating sportsmanship principles."
On Tuesday, the federation's board of executives will also discuss the fate of its chairman Azwar Anas, who asked to resign on Sunday.
"That was his personal statement. The final decision will be taken during a plenary meeting," Nugraha said. The board comprises 30 executives.
Separately, spokesman for the federation Tondo Widodo said the organization's statutes allows the executive board to pick a replacement for a chairman who requests early retirement.
Azwar's second successive term ends in December 1999.
The soccer community has piled pressure on the federation to hold an extraordinary congress to elect Azwar's replacement and hear his accountability over failure to develop the soccer team.
State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Agung Laksono welcomed the idea, saying that a congress was the best way to solve the country's soccer fiasco.
"I spoke to Pak Azwar on the phone this morning to hear from him about his resignation plan. He told me an extraordinary congress or an emergency plenary meeting should be called to pick his replacement," Agung said.
But National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar rejected the suggestion. "Never resort to an extraordinary congress when trying to solve the case. The more we get used to it, (then) we will never live in peace," Wismoyo said. (yan/amd)