FIFA to enter Indonesian football madness

Background
In late February football fans across Indonesia demonstrated against the much-maligned PSSI, and the way chairman Nurdin Halid has been running it for the past 8 years. According to the Jakarta Globe, fans were frustrated by the way football is being run in the country. The newspaper reports that protesters gathered allover Indonesia to rail against the rampant corruption they say is ailing PSSI.

Much of the anger is directed towards current chairman Nurdin whom the protesters say is corrupt and swindles with the associations funds. The Jakarta Globe cites the president of the fan club for the team Persibo Bojonegoro, M. Basar, who says that “we want to see a revolution at the PSSI because Nurdin has done nothing to improve the state of Indonesian football”, Basar further adds “we think it is better to give other people a chance to lead”.

Even inside the PSSI, among other PSSI officials, there is an uprising against chairman Nurdin, as both Usman Fakaubun, secretary of PSSI Papua and Imron Abdul Fatah, deputy chairman of PSSI East Java have voiced the need for change.

According to the Jakarta Globe, observers say that the recent mass actions could sway football officials who are voting in the PSSI election to vote against Nurdin.

Football is politics
There is a close link between sports associations and politics in Indonesia. Political analysts claim, in the Jakarta Globe, that whoever controls the Football Association could make a difference to who gets a seat in the government.

The analysts claim that Nurdins motivation for running for re-election appears to be politically driven. The Globe states that by keeping control of sports associations or other organisations, politicians hope to mobilize the electoral support offered by these mass groups, and political analyst Muhamad Asfar further elaborates:

“After Indonesia adopted a direct election system in 2004, the need to have direct access to the grassroots has been fast increasing. As a result, those aiming for political office in regions have either tried to lead – or got their allies to lead – mass organizations like sports associations”.

The involvement of FIFA
The Indonesia Football Watch (IFW), a recently established organisation, has the objective of showing concern for the current state of football in the country. They have told the Jakarta Globe, that they are planning on sending representatives to FIFA headquarters to expose how poorly football is being run in the country, thereby revealing “the true nature of Indonesian football”.

FIFA, however, is already aware of the situation in Indonesia, and has, in a mail to the Jakarta Globe, confirmed that the problems within the PSSI will be included in the FIFA executive committee meeting this Thursday.

“There will be some follow-up regarding the PSSI after the committee meeting” FIFA’s media department said in a statement to the newspaper.

According to the newspaper, FIFA has threatened with sanctions, if it finds any violations of the FIFA statutes, as it, as the world governing body on football, has the power to suspend any member association found to be in violation of the statutes.

The election was originally scheduled for March 26, but because of recent events, it is now postpond indecisively.

The FIFA meeting on the matter is scheduled to start March 3 2.30 p.m. in Zürich.