PSSI lobbies AFC to host futsal

JAKARTA (JP): The Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI)- McDonald's Indonesia futsal team project manager, Ronny Pattinasarani, has been lobbying the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Secretary-General Dato' Peter Velappan for next year's Asian futsal championships.

Ronny met Velappan in Teheran on Wednesday during a seminar on the futsal marketing and coaching clinic organized by the AFC, which started Monday.

He also presented a futsal development project road map and watched the AFC Asian futsal championship which entered the quarterfinals Wednesday.

The team had earlier received the green light to host the championship.

"Almost all the participants in Teheran gave their support to Indonesia to host the event. They also questioned our absence from this year's event," Ronny said on Wednesday.

Velappan of Malaysia threw his weight behind Indonesia after meeting Ronny.

"I would be delighted if Indonesia could host the 2002 championships. This is a good chance for Indonesia. I have discussed the matter with PSSI Secretary-General Tri Goestoro, but we have yet to go into the details," he said in a release after attending the presentation.

Velappan said he believed futsal could grow fast in Indonesia and Asia. He confirmed his readiness to cooperate with Asian countries in the effort to develop futsal.

Besides Indonesia, Velappan also gave his support to Singapore which will stage an international futsal invitational in October, featuring former world futsal champions Brazil and Spain. (ivy)