Saturday, October 20, 2012
Indonesia's Alternate Team In Low Profile Friendly Down Under
Indonesia's alternate national team are currently in Australia preparing for the ASEAN Cup next month. The other national team, the one organised by the Football Association, just returned from Vietnam where they held the 2008 ASEAN Cup winners 0-0.
You see not only does Indonesia have two national leagues run by two separate bodies but they now boast two national teams and FIFA continue to sit on their hands while the game tears itself to pieces.
Indonesia are masters of embarrassing themselves when it comes to football. Just glance back through more than six years worth of postings on this site for examples too numerous to recall. For the last two years they have held FIFA at bay with displays of brinkmanship that will have UN officials salivating.
Not being recognised by FIFA, the alternate national team will find it difficult to find any team to play. Clubs under the Australian Football Association face the prospect of sanction should they play a team that lacks any kind of official recognition.
There have been mumblings Brisbane Roar, the A League champions owned by Indonesians, would offer them a game but that is highly unlikely. The Roar owners are very active in the alternate national team, hence the choice of Brisbane, and they have gotten used to doing things their way over the years.
But Australia is a country that tends to follow rules and regulations and they may find it harder to have people bend their knee at their beck and call.
They have managed one game so far; against the mighty Queensland Christian Soccer Association and are due to play another against them next week.
Will QCSA face any penalties for playing against a team recognised by no one?
The farce surrounding Indonesian football is embarrassing and plunges to new depths of insanity eachmonth FIFA takes no action. And it is FIFA, being the world governing body, that is ultimately to blame for the current problems here. They after all were the ones who did nothing when the last head of the FA was behind bars in direct contravention of their own statutes.
What is happening in Indonesia is embarrassing. But FIFA's inaction is much, much worse.
You see not only does Indonesia have two national leagues run by two separate bodies but they now boast two national teams and FIFA continue to sit on their hands while the game tears itself to pieces.
Indonesia are masters of embarrassing themselves when it comes to football. Just glance back through more than six years worth of postings on this site for examples too numerous to recall. For the last two years they have held FIFA at bay with displays of brinkmanship that will have UN officials salivating.
Not being recognised by FIFA, the alternate national team will find it difficult to find any team to play. Clubs under the Australian Football Association face the prospect of sanction should they play a team that lacks any kind of official recognition.
There have been mumblings Brisbane Roar, the A League champions owned by Indonesians, would offer them a game but that is highly unlikely. The Roar owners are very active in the alternate national team, hence the choice of Brisbane, and they have gotten used to doing things their way over the years.
But Australia is a country that tends to follow rules and regulations and they may find it harder to have people bend their knee at their beck and call.
They have managed one game so far; against the mighty Queensland Christian Soccer Association and are due to play another against them next week.
Will QCSA face any penalties for playing against a team recognised by no one?
The farce surrounding Indonesian football is embarrassing and plunges to new depths of insanity eachmonth FIFA takes no action. And it is FIFA, being the world governing body, that is ultimately to blame for the current problems here. They after all were the ones who did nothing when the last head of the FA was behind bars in direct contravention of their own statutes.
What is happening in Indonesia is embarrassing. But FIFA's inaction is much, much worse.
# posted by Me @ 9:33 PM 
