Jakarta - The world football regulator FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) has banned the present chairman of the All-Indonesia Football Association (PSSI). Nurdin Halid, from running in the election of a new chairman at its congress in late April.
Indonesian ambassador to Switzerland Joko Susilo when contacted by phone from here on Tuesday (March 8) said FIFA`s stand on Nurdin Halid was conveyed to him by FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter at a meeting earlier in the day in Zurich, Switzerland.
"Sepp Blatter said that FIFA was following its own rules of association and ethics and under these rules, ex-convicts cannot lead a football organization," he said.
Blatter who was informed by Djoko about the leadershio crisis in PSSI strictly forbade Nurdin Halid to run for PSSI chairman or other official positions in the organization.
"FIFA will not recognize the election`s result if Nurdin runs for the 2011-2015 chairmanship, and FIFA only wanted Indonesian football to be better," said Joko.
As a follow up measure, FIFA would also send a team to monitor PSSI`s congress according to the valid association`s code of conduct.
The PSSI congress will be held before April 20, 2011, according to FIFA notification letter sent earlier.
Blatter also said that FIFA will not interfere on the existence of the National Football Recovering Committee, because it is an internal PSSI`s problem.
According to original plan, the PSSI congress was to be held in Bali on March 26 to elect a chairman and deputy chairman, and an executive committee, but because an appeals committee had disqualified all four candidates, the congress had to be postponed and after FIFA was informed of the situation, it had ruled that the congress must take place before April 30.
The four candidates were Nurdin Halid, Nirwan Bakrie, George Toisutta and Arifin Panigoro.
The complicated situation prompted Indonesian football enthusiasts to hold mass rallies to demand that Nurdin Halid no longer be the PSSI chairman.
Indonesian football enthusiasts also said that Nurdin Halid had violated FIFA rules of association because he was an ex-convict. (A050/H-YH)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com