Twenty-three clubs join soccer league

Twenty-three clubs join soccer league

SEMARANG (JP): Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI)
secretary-general Tri Goestoro said over the weekend that 23
clubs from across the nation would compete in the first division
of the 2001 Bank Mandiri national soccer league.

"Twenty-three clubs -- some of which used to perform in the
main division, including PSIS Semarang, PSIM Yogyakarta, Medan
Jaya and Indocement Cirebon -- will join this year's league," he
said.

PSIS Semarang won the national league championship in 1999 but
was relegated to the first division in 2000 after finishing in
the bottom of the standings.

Tri said 21 clubs have confirmed their participation in the
league's first division.

"We are waiting for two clubs to register. They are Persiter
of Ternate, North Maluku, and Persipim of Minahasa, North
Sulawesi. If the teams fail to register by Jan. 31 at the latest,
the first division will only consist of 21 clubs."

He said the first division would consist of the western, first
central, second central and eastern groups. Each group will
include either four or five clubs, except for the eastern
division, which will contain seven clubs.

The groups will be set during a meeting at the PSSI office in
Jakarta in the middle of February. The matches are scheduled to
kick off in March.

Last year, 21 clubs in four group were included in the first
division. The winners and runners-up of each group qualified for
the final eight, and the four top teams were promoted to the main
division.

Last year's first division clubs that earned a promotion to
this year's main division are Persita of Tangerang regency,
Persijap of Jepara and PSS Sleman and Persikabo of Bogor regency.

This year a different system will be in place, and only the
winner and runner-up in the first division will earn a promotion
to next year's main division.

"The two top clubs will join the main division while the six
bottom finishers in the main division will be relegated," Tri
said.

"We plan to reduce the number of main division clubs in 2004
to 16. With the new system, the first division clubs will find it
difficult to get promoted to the main division," he said. (har)