Soccer body to question suspected drug users

JAKARTA (JP): The disciplinary commission of the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) will invite three players who are allegedly consuming shabu-shabu (crystal methamphethamine) for verification next Saturday in Malang, East Java.

Commission chairman Andi Darussalam Tabusalla said on Sunday that his commission was seeking confirmation from Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto and Kuncoro, both from PSM Makassar club, and Mursyid Effendi from Persebaya Surabaya on their activities at Wetan hotel in Surabaya on April 11.

"We decided to delay the verification from Monday to May 13 due to a technical problem. There is no special reason," he said.

The verification is needed because the players gave different accounts of their activities at the hotel prior to the match between PSM against Petrokimia Gresik.

Darussalam said that he was sure that his commission would find the player who took illegal drugs.

"To find the person is not easy; yet it's not so difficult. We have Yuniarto Budi as our key witness. We will find the other witness after we list the activities of the players chronologically," he said.

He was referring to Yuniarto, another PSM player, who shared the same room with Kurniawan on April 11. Both players allegedly consumed shabu-shabu that day.

Kuncoro said in a written statement earlier that he was persuaded by Mursyid to take shabu-shabu but Mursyid, who was also questioned last week, said it was Kurniawan who encouraged him to take the drug. Kurniawan has refuted Mursyid's statement.

Kuncoro reportedly admitted during a questioning by the commission here last Wednesday that he also took the illegal drugs, but he refused to implicate Kurniawan and Mursyid.

PSSI questioned Kurniawan and Yuniarto in Makassar last Thursday.

Kurniawan reportedly denied that he asked Mursyid to come to the hotel, and he said he had no idea what Mursyid, Kuncoro and another unidentified person were doing in his room while he was in the restroom. After he finished taking a bath, the three players had left.

Yuniarto said he did not know what the three players were doing in the room because he left when they had just arrived at the hotel. He said they had gone when he returned. (ivy)