Tuesday, October 26, 2010
More Pressure on Indonesian FA
Whenever anything happens in Indonesian football media, clubs and supporters automatically point their fingers at the FA, known as the PSSI, as the culprit. And often with good reason.
There have been regular calls for the current incumbents to step down over the last few years but the Teflon Crew hang on in there, rejecting all calls for their ouster.
With the advent of the Liga Primer Indonesia maybe now some of the clubs and players may start to re-find their balls and complain about the injustices that are seemingly a weekly occurrence here.
The FA may hold all the cards but the last thing they can do is appear to be too overbearing or too patronising or they will lose what little support they have left and with an election next year to elect a new leadership the canny political operators at Senayan will be battening down the hatches and looking for new friendships.
A couple of stories today in local tabloid Top Skor will have added to the pressure on the FA, already under fire from the LPI.
Persema Malang have threatened to withdraw from the Indonesia Super League. They cite the lack of any Fair Play and some shocking decisions during their last game away to Deltras when they lost the game to a late penalty. The referee blew the final whistle while Persema were on the attack with a goal scoring opportunity leaving the club feeling disgusted at the blatant, umm, thingy.
Deltras have a thing about late penalties. An article today in the same tabloid details five instances when the team from Sidoarjo got a late late penalty and went on to win the game by one goal margins.
Cold hard facts like that can look suspicious to cynics and of course I am a cynic. But perspective is good. How many penalties have Arsenal had this season? I dunno either but there have been plenty and Arsene Wenger would claim that is because they attack so much and move so quickly.
There is nothing to stop Deltras management saying exactly the same thing and without evidence to the contrary all we have are suspicions.
Interestingly Deltras, who haven't scored an away goal yet this season, have expressed an interesting in joining the LPI if it ever gets off the ground. The people behind the liga have been emphasising Fair Play and are looking to bring in foreign refs. If the Liga begins, and if the foreign refs do get games (would they even qualify for a work permit?) would Deltras get so many late, decisive penalties?
# posted by Me @ 12:37 PM 
