Soccer Association of Indonesia chairman Erick Thohir (left) taking a picture with his deputy, Zainudin Amali (centre), and National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo after a press conference on law enforcement against match fixing in Indonesian soccer at Gelora Bung Karno sports complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Feb 20, 2023. - Courtesy of PSSI
JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): Appearing in his capacity as a newly elected chairman of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) on Sunday (Feb 19), Erick Thohir outlined his ambitious goal to completely eradicate match fixing in Indonesia, taking the fight to the soccer mafia, which has taken root in the country’s soccer system.
“[Match fixing] has long been a parasite that brings shame to Indonesia. It’s not just a thorn in domestic leagues, but has also affected matches involving the national team, which has besmirched our country’s reputation,” Erick said.
The States-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister added that PSSI would inflict a lifetime ban from all football-related activities on anyone found to have been involved in the scheme.
Soccer mafias have been a constant presence in the country’s lower leagues, with East Java Police arresting four people in connection with match fixing in Liga 3 in 2022, the third tier of Indonesia’s soccer league system.
But in 2010, the national team was suspected of throwing a match against Malaysia in the first leg of 2010 AFF Cup final, although it was never proven.
Given the enormity of the undertaking, Erick has enlisted the help of the police in forming an anti-soccer mafia task force consisting of 15 regional teams across Indonesia.
This is not the first time the police have formed such a team, with National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo explaining that the previous task force uncovered 18 match-fixing scandals from 2018 until 2020.
Using technology and resources provided by soccer's global governing-body FIFA, including information on how to analyze betting markets to find indications of manipulation, Erick said he hoped to implement his plan by next season.
Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali, appearing in his capacity as the government’s representative and not as PSSI deputy chairman, said that the government would fully support the PSSI.
Even as Erick promised “clean and high-achieving Indonesian soccer”, remnants of past misgivings continue to linger. Just one day after the PSSI welcomed its new chief, a closed-door match between rivals PSIS Semarang and Persis Solo, both based in Central Java, was forced to be suspended after 75 minutes as soccer fans clashed with the police outside Jatidiri Stadium.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd trying to enter the stadium on Friday (Feb 17), four months after the country suffered the deadly Kanjuruhan Stadium stampede that was sparked by the use of tear gas inside the stadium.
Friday's incident prompted Erick to create an ad-hoc committee to involve supporters in ongoing efforts to reform soccer in Indonesia.
“To transform [Indonesian] soccer, we also need to involve supporters [...] We have to make sure fans can go home safely. But if we want to properly reform our soccer [culture], they must also take responsibility," Erick said following a PSSI meeting on Saturday.
Local police had decided the day before the Friday match they would be closed to the public, under the authority of a new set of protocols introduced after the Kanjuruhan tragedy in October 2022.
The decision was made even though tickets had already been sold. Amnesty International Indonesia (AII) executive director Usman Hamid, in a joint statement with the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said the firing of the irritant gas had amounted to an excessive use of force by the police.
The Semarang Police insisted the officers had tried other methods to disperse the crowd and had fired the tear gas only as the last resort and in a public area, not in the field of play.
Despite Fifa’s insistence on ensuring the government does not interfere with soccer associations, both Erick and Zainuddin are still actively performing their duties as minister.
But while Erick’s ascendancy on Thursday was smooth, Zainuddin’s election was marked by conflict and uncertainties.
In the initial voting, the sports minister came away as the victor for the first of the two deputy chairman positions, with departing secretary-general Yunus Nusi coming in second.
But after PSSI voters accused the election committee of rigging the vote, a revote took place in which Ratu Tisha Destria replaced Zainuddin, who came third, while Yunus remained in second.
Yunus eventually backed out of the race, but while Zainuddin was set to occupy the second deputy chairman seat, PSSI instead gave him the first seat even though Ratu Tisha collected the most votes.
“Zainuddin got the first deputy chairman position as he had longer experience in soccer,” PSSI spokesman Bandung Saputra said on Thursday.
