Indonesia faces sanctions such as suspension from international football by the ruling body FIFA if it doesn’t sort out its internal problems in the sport, the Jakarta Post said on Thursday.
The paper cited a letter from FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke to Indonesian Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng which said that the rival domestic federations, the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) and the breakaway Indonesian Soccer Rescue Committee (KPSI), must agree at a meeting Monday to end their fighting.
Both sides signed a memorandum of understanding in summer at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters with the aim to form one league and at a congress on December 10.
Valcke was quoted as saying that “a joint committee consisting of representatives from both parties has made no significant progress.
“The (FIFA Associations’) Committee warned that in case of failure, the case would be brought before the FIFA Executive Committee on December 14, 2012, in order to determine the sanctions, which could go as far as an indefinite suspension,” Valcke said.
“We are fully aware that Indonesia is passionate about soccer and that sanctions will have a major impact. We have tried tirelessly to solve the problems, but we are afraid that there will be no choice unless the objectives of FIFA and the AFC are met or that significant progress has been made.” A possible suspension could prevent Indonesia from playing in the qualifying rounds for the 2015 Asian Cup which starts in February.
