Footballers don't walk off the pitch in the middle of a game. And footballers don't headbutt match officials. Football is a universal game and the universal rules apply be it a Bundesliga game or a Copa Indonesia final.
Persipura, ISL champions, continue their pathetic bleating, after they were suspended from the Copa next year and had various players and officials banned from the game and fined. They are appealing the decisions, they walked off the bloody pitch, how the hell can they appeal anything? And if they don't get the decision they want they will ask the President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhyono to sack the FA!
If the FA decides not to drop their punishments, and if the President decides not to get involved, then Persipura are threatening to pull out of the ISL and move to Australia.
Of course the Aussies would welcome a team who get the sulks when things don't go their way with open arms. But they would draw the line at headbutting officials and walking off mid game.
Persipura were by far the best team in Indonesia last season. On the pitch. But now they're behaving reprehensibly off it.
As part of their reward for winning the title the players were given free tickets to see Manchester United at Bung Karno, a game ultimately called off because of recent bombings. I wonder, and we saw many pictures of players like Eduard Ivakdalam and Boaz Solossa wearing United shirts, if they considered what United's response would have been to a few decisions that went against them?
All of it is pure posturing though but will the FA back down as they have many times before. If they do then football has lost. If Persipura can't handle playing by the rules then by all means they can leave. But don't expect other leagues to welcome them.
I want to believe the PSSI will stick to its guns -- I really, really do. So why do I have this feeling that a highly placed someone in the PSSI will get weak in the knees come October and forget the whole sordid event ever happened?
ReplyDeleteGo ahead, Nurdin -- call their bluff. Give Persiwa and Persib the Champions League places and let Team Whinge commute to Australia. If they thought the budget was tight before....
The strange thing is, I hate coming down on the side of the PSSI. The collusion between the FA and the BLI to not register players called up to the national team until after the Kuwait qualifiers is, at best, dirty pool.
ReplyDeleteI doubt there's little recourse for the clubs short of taking the PSSI to court, but considering the power brokers who make up the upper crust of the FA, that stands a snowball's chance in Bali of succeeding.
That should be 'much recourse', BTW.
ReplyDeleteI'll get my coat.
What i dont understand, why Nurdin is so powerful in the PSSI clan. Even when he was jailed, the organisation didnt want to force him resigned from the post. Considering how many provincial PSSI committe were disapproving him. I reckon, they were more than 20 provincial committe rejects him, but yet, he still on the top of the PSSI.
ReplyDeleteDave Semarang
i really try to side with the fa when i can, i call it my fox news moment being fair and balanced but it s just too damned difficult
ReplyDeletere nh, perhaps he s someones stalking horse, a figurehead for others?
go persipura...............
ReplyDelete