FIFA warns Indonesian FA of 'severe sanctions'
Reuters - Monday 09 May 2011, 06:59
JAKARTA - The Indonesian Football
Association (PSSI) faces "severe sanctions" unless it cleans up
its act and prevents four banned candidates from standings in
its May 20 elections, world governing body FIFA has said.
The election crisis has pushed the PSSI to the brink of
expulsion with controversial head Nurdin Halid (pictured) among the four
FIFA have decreed ineligible to stand.
FIFA also banned local oil tycoon Arifin Panigoro, who
launched the breakaway Indonesian Premier League (LPI), along
with Army Chief of Staff George Toisutta and Nirwan Bakrie.
Football's world governing body appointed a 'normalisation
committee' in March to remove the PSSI from power and organise a
presidential election after weeks of protests against Halid and
his failure to halt the rebel LPI.
But FIFA said nine PSSI members are still appealing to have
their candidacies approved for the May 20 vote, including the
four they banned in February, prompting a sharp response from
the world governing body.
"We would like to underline that the PSSI electoral appeal
committee is not allowed to process the appeal on the
eligibility to the PSSI presidency... as the case has already
been decided," FIFA wrote in a letter seen by Reuters.
"We would like to draw your attention once again to the fact
that should PSSI fail to abide by this decision it might incur
severe sanctions, including the possibility of a suspension."
To add to the chaos, the PSSI's acting secretary general
Joko Driyono said the normalisation committee was considering
stripping North Sumatra, Lampung, East Java and North Sulawesi
of voting privileges because of leadership issues.
Nurdin, who was jailed in 2007 for misusing funds but
continued to run the PSSI from his cell, had been seeking a
third term as president of the PSSI.