PSIS relegated to Division I

SEMARANG (JP): The Indonesian Soccer League (Ligina) defending champion, PSIS of Semarang, was unexpectedly relegated to Division I of the league after losing a number of matches in the ongoing Bank Mandiri league.

PSIS chairman Soetjipto resigned Saturday after taking responsibility for his team's recent poor form.

He said his team's poor performance was mainly caused by lack of financial support which influenced the quality of the players' skills. Many players opted to move to wealthier clubs due to the conditions at PSIS.

However, former PSIS chairman Sutrisno Suharto urged Soetjipto not to resign but to concentrate on improving the performance of the team for next year's league. (har)