U-15 player falsifies age

JAKARTA (JP): A Jakartan soccer player has allegedly falsified his age in order to compete in the Bogasari Under-15 soccer league despite having twice passed administration procedures and medical screenings in Bandung and Jakarta.

Central Java team manager Bambang Husodo and coach Cornelis Sutadi said on Thursday that the player, identified as Harianto, had entered two separate age details on his elementary school report and diploma. The school report said Harianto was born on April 21, 1984 while the diploma declared he was two years younger.

The documents also stated that Harianto entered school in 1990 and graduated in 1998, despite the fact that a basic education in Indonesia only lasts for six years.

"If PSSI says that Harianto is eligible to play, Central Java will heed the decision. But I'm afraid that this scandal could ruin our national soccer development," said Sutadi.

Bambang hoped that the chairman of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI), Agum Gumelar, would take stern measures with the Jakarta team so as to uphold the league's rules.

The rules state that a player who is proved to falsify their age would be banned from PSSI competitions for two years. Any official who is proved to have been involved or to have allegedly encouraged such action would face a suspension of three years and the club would be disqualified from the competition. (ivy)