Soccer security tightened

SURABAYA, East Java (JP): Security will be tightened in places along the way to Indonesian soccer league venues in Jakarta to prevent vandalism by hooligan supporters.

East Java's military commander, Maj. Gen. Iman Utomo, said security personnel would be deployed to keep an eye on supporters going to watch their teams play.

The semifinals and final will be July 25 and July 27 at the Senayan stadium.

East Java soccer teams Persebaya and Mitra Surabaya will take on PSM Ujung Pandang and Bandung Raya in the 3rd Liga Kansas championship.

As in other years, there are fears hooligans will disrupt railway stations on the way to the Senayan stadium. Last year some of them looted shops.

"Identified hooligans will probably be accompanied by security officials or barred from leaving their home town if necessary," he said.

The semifinal and final will involve a South Korean referee and seven local referees.

An All Indonesia Football Federation official defended the use of the South Korean referee, saying the decision was made to make the competition credible.

"Local spectators prefer a soccer competition to be adjudicated by a foreign referee to make the game fair," said Djafar Umar, who chairs the federation's referee commission.

The commission had decided to use a foreign referee for the competition without underestimating the local referees' ability, he said.

He said local supporters seemed more accepting of foreign referees' decisions even though they made mistakes too. (nur/03)