Soeharto to open 31st PSSI congress

Soeharto to open 31st PSSI congress

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday he is willing
to open the 31st national congress of the All-Indonesia Soccer
Federation (PSSI).

Soeharto also suggested that the three-day congress, scheduled
to start on Dec. 27, be held in or near Jakarta, PSSI chairman
Azwar Anas said after a meeting with the President.

At its last meeting, PSSI agreed to hold the congress in
Medan, North Sumatra. But another opinion, like a presidential
suggestion, can rule out the federation's agreement, Azwar
quickly added.

Azwar reiterated that only the congress had the right to pick
the next PSSI chairman.

People shouldn't speculate about this, he added. Whether or
not Azwar should resume his PSSI chairmanship has been a subject
of debate, including critics inside PSSI.

Those who believe he has been a successful chairman point to
his ability to garner support from prominent businesspeople to
launch the Indonesian League last year.

They also attribute the Primavera project, in which select
booters were trained in Italy for two years, as a sign of his
ability. Some of the booters, like top striker Kurniawan Dwi
Yulianto, have won contracts with Swedish First Division League
clubs.

Those who say he is a failure point to the ousting of the
national team, which consisted mostly of those trained under the
Primavera project, by South Korea in the qualifying matches for
the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Azwar said that some people, including some PSSI senior
officials, have asked him to stay.

"But if someone else better than me expresses his will to
replace me, I will be the first person to thank him. I already
have many things to do," Azwar said. (arf)