Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has fully entrusted Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng with his way of solving the row over the holding of the All-Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) congress.

Presidential spokesperson Julian Aldrin Pasha told the press at the Presidential Palace here on Monday that what the Sports Ministers has conveyed in response to the holding of the congress reflected the government`s official stance.

"The bottom line is that for (solving) the PSSI (problem) the government has delegated, and, fully represented by the sports minister. The president has fully authorized the sports minister, who is believed to have assessed and evaluated the situation in an effort to solve the problem," he said.

The sports minister has periodically reported the progress of the congress in Pekanbaru, Riau province, on March 25-26 to President Yudhoyono, he said. The statements by the sports minister on the matter was a referential source on that particular matter.

Minister Mallarangeng said on Monday that the government was waiting of FIFA`s official decision about the holding of the congress, whose main agenda were appointing the Selection Committee and Appeal Committee.

If the results of the congress were positively accepted by FIFA, then all the steps on the holding of the congress prepared by 78 out of the total 100 members with valid voting rights should be implemented to meet the FIFA-set deadline.

FIFA, last month, had asked PSSI to convene a congress to elect a chair and deputy-chairs as well as members of executive committees for the office term of 2011-2015 before April 30, 2011.

If FIFA did not accept the Pekanbaru congress` results, the government and national sports committee (KONI) would assume that PSSI under the management of Nurdin Halid and Secretary General Nugraha Besoes were incompetent in holding the congress.

The congress in Pekanbaru was canceled by the current management of PSSI for security problems after third parties allegedly posed threats.

One candidate for the chair of PSSI is General George Toisutta, the chief of staff of the army. (*)

Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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