Minister Sends Letter to PSSI over Liga 1 Indonesia Fiasco
10 November 2017 19:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi has sent a letter to the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) over the controversies surrounding Liga 1 Indonesia title.
“I regret that there were many controversies that shouldn’t have happened and/or could have been minimized, considering that the government, FIFA, AFC and the people were putting high hopes on the PSSI officials,” Imam stated in a letter signed on Thursday, November 9.
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Problems arised after the PSSI disciplinary committee sanctioned Mitra Kukar with a forfeit with a 3-0 loss against Bhayangkara FC. The decision was made after the committee found Mitra Kukar guilty of fielding suspended player Mohamed Sissoko in the Bhayangkara clash.
Sissoko did feature in the match that ended 1-1. The disciplinary committee said that the Malian should have never played due to a red card suspension. Mitra Kukar had denied the accusation, citing that Sissoko’s name was not listed in the suspension note for the match.
Minister Imam stated in the letter that he has called on PSSI not to suddenly change the sanction or the laws of the game or act inconsistently, “because it could harm public trust in the competition held by PSSI and PT LIB (Liga Indonesia Baru, the league operator).”
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Imam also expects that the final matches of Liga 1 and Liga 1 be held simultaneously. And for title deciders or relegation battles to be broadcasted or streamed online.
The PSSI disciplinary committee’s decision has sparked a controversy since it gives an advantage to Bhayangkara FC that secured more points than Bali United and are almost certain to win Liga 1 Indonesia.
EGY ADYATAMA