Yogyakarta and Padang soccer clubs to disband
Yogyakarta and Padang soccer clubs to disband
YOGYAKARTA (JP): A local soccer club, PSIM, is set to disband
following a recent decision by the All Indonesian Soccer
Federation to cancel this year's league.
The club's chief, Idham Samawi, said yesterday PSIM suspended
all activities after the federation brought about a premature end
to the league Monday. According to the initial schedule, the
league was to finish in mid July.
"Considering the unstable sociopolitical, economic and
security conditions, which have not been completely restored, we
decided to cancel all competitions," Idham told The Jakarta Post.
He said club officials would meet to set the date for
liquidation.
"I support the decision to disband the club because we have
already run out of money to pay the coach and players' salaries."
PSIM hired Cameroon-born Ali Ibrahim Yahya and Brazilian
Amilton de Oliviera this season but they failed to propel the
club into the top positions. It lay at the bottom of the Central
Division table before the league was suspended.
Idham said the players would be returned to their respective
clubs under PSIM's auspices. The Yogyakarta club groups small,
amateur clubs across the city.
In Padang, the coach and players of soccer club PSP said they
were expecting club owners to announce its dissolution in the
next few days.
Coach Tukijan Teguh said the club's top executives Yusman
Kasim and Zuiyen Rais had met several times recently, apparently
to discuss possible liquidation of the club.
"I want the club to be dissolved as soon as possible. A quick
decision will give us ample time to think about our future
direction," Tukijan said as quoted by Antara.
The soccer federation's announcement Monday followed a week of
political turmoil which peaked with Soeharto's resignation as the
president after 32 years in office.
The same reason accounted for the federation's decision to
withdraw from the 2nd Tiger Cup tournament and the Asian
Champions Cup and Cup Winners Cup competitions.
It is not clear whether Indonesia will take part in the Asian
Games (Asiad) soccer competition either. The National Sports
Council only allocates places in the Asiad squad to the national
soccer team if it manages to excel in the Tiger Cup, scheduled
for early August in Kuala Lumpur.
A former executive of the federation, Agum Gumelar, urged the
national soccer body to reconsider its decision, saying that it
would discourage soccer's development here. (23/amd)