Monday, August 13, 2012
FIFA Inaction Encourages Brinkmanship
The Indonesia Super League is mumbling about starting up
again in November. There was initially talk that a unified league would kick
off in January but given the lack of progress on that particular front the ISL
seems to want to go it alone placing it on another collision course with
FIFA and the AFC.
Of course had FIFA and the AFC shown any kind of leadership
in the past, notably when the previous head of the PSSI was behind bars, then
we may not be in this particular muddle. A muddle for sure but a different one.
The people who run the ‘official’ league claim the idea of
the ISL starting up in November is just a lack of communication. Apparently, so
one guy was quoted as saying, the joint committee tasked with unifying the game
behind one body and with one league, hasn’t met for a long time!
Well, duh!
Indonesian football continues to stick two fingers to the
domestic stakeholders, players and fans, and the international bodies who are
supposed to run the game according to agreed rules and regulations. The fact
that the two parties haven’t met for a while speaks volumes about the desire in
the game to sort the mess out.
Towards the end of last season the players union threatened
to go on strike. That was nothing but the meow of a paper tiger that, deep
down, is reluctant to face down the people who run the game in the country. The
suits control the finances and they have proven loathe to part with that cash
no matter what a contract says.
The remit of FIFA stops at Indonesia’s borders
and until they, as the body responsible for the running of the game, take
action nothing will change.
I wonder why FIFA are so reluctant to take any kind of
action?
# posted by Me @ 5:14 PM 
