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)