Saturday, February 21, 2015
Delayed ISL Leaves Everyone Pissed
Indonesian football is pissed. The PSSI is pissed. FIFA is pissed. The fans are pissed. Everyone it seems is pissed at the decision by the sports minister to unilaterally halt the Indonesia Super League season just 48 hours before it was due to begin.
Persib had been scheduled to host Persipura last night in the opening game and the visitors were already ensconced in their Bandung hotel when the announcement came through. They checked out Friday morning, returned to their hotel in Jakarta and used its grounds for a training session. Sunday sees them head to Singapore for AFC Cup tie Warriors.
Some outfit called BOPI, the Council of Professional Sports, have done nothing for two years...check out their website. Yet now here they are calling on the league to be suspended and the government accepts their recommendation.
Apparently some clubs don't fulfill the criteria to compete in the league. Get away! It has ever been thus, why get on the high horse now? Could it be related to PSSI committee elections in a few months time? Who knows but delaying a league so close to its start does seem an odd way of courting popularity.
The irony is for the first time ever two clubs, Persik and Persiwa, were prevented from joining the ISL because they fell short of meeting the league's criteria. Why those two were picked on and not others who have more deep seated issues is not clear but it was a rare sign of the PSSI getting tough.
One of the conditions not being met of course relates to players not being paid on time, an time old issue here. Of course the chances of clubs honouring their commitments have become even more remote as BOPI delays the league, forcing clubs to scramble round looking for money as gate receipts dry up.
FIFA fired off an angry letter asking PSSI to get this mess sorted out as soon as possible. FIFA turns its back on many ills in the game but once it feels its power is being usurped, for whatever reason, they get pissed quickly.
BOPI has given the errant clubs two weeks to get their affairs in order. If everything is tickety boo then football can start. If not? Who knows.
The PSSI are pessimistic a new schedule can be drawn up in such a short time frame citing international commitments and all the while the delays will be costing the clubs money and potential sponsors. At a time when some clubs are starting to get their house in order this comes as a kick in the teeth to them and all the work they have done.
Not for the first time in recent years Indonesia faces action from the game's governing body. With the country set to host a couple of age group competitions as well as compete in the SEA Games in Singapore, any suspension could hit the country hard.
The sports minister is unrepentant, quoted as saying 'how can clubs be healthy if the owners are not healthy?'
In the meantime the AFC Cup goes on with Persib hosting New Radiant next week in Bandung!
Persib had been scheduled to host Persipura last night in the opening game and the visitors were already ensconced in their Bandung hotel when the announcement came through. They checked out Friday morning, returned to their hotel in Jakarta and used its grounds for a training session. Sunday sees them head to Singapore for AFC Cup tie Warriors.
Some outfit called BOPI, the Council of Professional Sports, have done nothing for two years...check out their website. Yet now here they are calling on the league to be suspended and the government accepts their recommendation.
Apparently some clubs don't fulfill the criteria to compete in the league. Get away! It has ever been thus, why get on the high horse now? Could it be related to PSSI committee elections in a few months time? Who knows but delaying a league so close to its start does seem an odd way of courting popularity.
The irony is for the first time ever two clubs, Persik and Persiwa, were prevented from joining the ISL because they fell short of meeting the league's criteria. Why those two were picked on and not others who have more deep seated issues is not clear but it was a rare sign of the PSSI getting tough.
One of the conditions not being met of course relates to players not being paid on time, an time old issue here. Of course the chances of clubs honouring their commitments have become even more remote as BOPI delays the league, forcing clubs to scramble round looking for money as gate receipts dry up.
FIFA fired off an angry letter asking PSSI to get this mess sorted out as soon as possible. FIFA turns its back on many ills in the game but once it feels its power is being usurped, for whatever reason, they get pissed quickly.
BOPI has given the errant clubs two weeks to get their affairs in order. If everything is tickety boo then football can start. If not? Who knows.
The PSSI are pessimistic a new schedule can be drawn up in such a short time frame citing international commitments and all the while the delays will be costing the clubs money and potential sponsors. At a time when some clubs are starting to get their house in order this comes as a kick in the teeth to them and all the work they have done.
Not for the first time in recent years Indonesia faces action from the game's governing body. With the country set to host a couple of age group competitions as well as compete in the SEA Games in Singapore, any suspension could hit the country hard.
The sports minister is unrepentant, quoted as saying 'how can clubs be healthy if the owners are not healthy?'
In the meantime the AFC Cup goes on with Persib hosting New Radiant next week in Bandung!
# posted by Me @ 8:33 AM 
