PSSI delays punishment for errant players
JAKARTA (JP): The All Indonesian Soccer Federation (PSSI) has delayed announcing the punishment for Mursyid Effendi and Kuncoro until Tuesday.
The two defenders were responsible for a deliberate own goal which handed victory to Thailand in a recent Tiger Cup match.
PSSI spokesman Tondo Widodo said the federation had called another meeting after coach Rusdy Bahalwan and his assistant Nandar Iskandar failed to show up for a hearing on Friday.
Tondo said Rusdy gave no reason for his absence while Nandar's failure to appear was due to his car breaking down on the way to the federation office in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
Team manager Andrie Amin turned up for the hearing, but the federation could not decide on a punishment solely on the basis of his explanation, Tondo said.
Mursyid hit the ball into Indonesia's net in the dying seconds of the match after a defensive pass from Kuncoro to give Thailand an unwanted 3-2 win.
Tondo said Rusdy had written a report on the match in which both Indonesia and Thailand played to lose.
"We hope to announce the punitive measures and report them to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) on Tuesday," Tondo said.
He said punishment had been requested by the AFF in exchange for allowing an Indonesian appeal against the US$40,000 fine imposed following the bizarre display. Thailand received a similar fine.
Indonesia beat Thailand on penalties in the third-place playoff, but the AFF stripped Indonesia of its $20,000 prize money.
Earlier on Friday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) suspended both countries "from any international matches until further notice."
Meanwhile, former Thai soccer coach Withaya Laohakul said on Saturday that he hoped the AFC decision to ban the country from international competition would only be a temporary measure.
"I hope it (the ban) does not affect Thailand's participation in the Asian Games. Fingers crossed, it will only be a yellow card and last for one month," Withaya, who quit along with the Thai team's entire management after the match, told Reuters.
Thailand is hosting the 13th Asian Games from Dec. 6 to Dec. 20.
AFC general secretary Peter Velappan said in Kuala Lumpur on Friday that the suspension would last until the issue was reviewed by the conference's executive committee in Lebanon on Oct. 23.
The Bangkok Post said in an editorial: "The ban has given the Thai soccer authorities a much needed boot up the backside and hopefully they will learn from this painful lesson."
"Hopefully out of the ban will emerge a fresh approach from the Thai soccer authorities. We want a team that can hold up their heads in pride and say 'we did our best' whatever the result."
Withaya, a celebrated member of the Thai national team in the 1970s and 1980s before he went to play professional soccer in Germany and Japan, was repentant but pleaded for understanding.
"I really regret what has happened... but it is normal for soccer teams to try everything to get as far as possible in a tournament. This is a lesson for us," he said. (yan)