The congress will attract a lot of attention from the public, especially from Indonesian soccer fans as it will take place after the recent PSSI crisis which evolved around the present chairman Nurdin Halid`s candidacy for another term in office.
The congress will be conducted by the Normalization Committee led by Army General (Retired) Agum Gumelar, who had well prepared the congress stages. Agum Gumelar once led the PSSI before Nurdin Halid.
The congress organizing committee had invited all PSSI members who have voting right, namely from 33 provinces across the country, 15 super league clubs, 16 main division clubs, 14 division-I clubs, 12 division-II clubs and 10 division-III clubs.
Previously some 92 parties with voting right have confirmed to attend the congress, said Agum Gumelar on Wednesday (May 18) night following his meeting with a number of persons running for the posts of general chairman, deputy general chairman and executive committee members here.
PSSI members who have voting right come from all 33 provinces namely Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Jambi, Riau, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung, Bengkulu, Lampung, Banten, Greater Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, South East Sulawesi, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua.
In addition, 16 voters from the main division namely PSAP Sigli, Persiraja, PSMS, Persik, Persipasi, Persita, Mitra Kukar, Persiram, Gresik United, Perseman, PSIM, Persidafon, Persiba, Barito Putra, PSBI and Persigo.
The 14 voters from division-I consisting of PSBS Biak, Persbul Buol, Persepam Pamekasan, PSBL Langsa, Perssin Sinjai, Madiun Putra FC, Persewangi Banyuwangi, Persip Kota Pekalongan, PSBK Blitar, PSGL Gayo Lues, KSB Sumbawa Barat, Persitema Temanggung, Persid Jember and Persepar Palangkaraya.
Apart from that, 12 voters from division-II comprising PS Bungo, Persik Teluk Kuantan, PS Pidie Jaya, Persal Aceh Selatan, Persap Purbalingga, Persenga Nganjuk, Perseba Bangkalan, Persekap Kota Pasuruan, Persewar Waropen, Perseka Kaimana, PS Penajam Paser Utara and Persisum Sumbawa.
In effort to make the congress run successfully, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police will deploy 900 personnel.
"We will throw a multi-layer security cordon around the congress`s venue," Senior Commissioner Sujarno, chief of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police`s operations command said.
He said personnel from the Jakarta Military Command would also be deployed to secure the congress. The tight security, he said, was meant to prevent riots during the event.
The body controlling football globally, FIFA (Federation International Football Associations), had recently decided to form a Normalization Committee that would take over the task of organizing a congress from the PSSI`s executive board to elect a new PSSI chairman, deputy chairman and executive committee on May 20, 2011.
FIFA took the decision after its Emergency Committee believed that the PSSI leadership under chairman Nurdin Khalid was not in control of football in Indonesia as proven by its failure to control the run-away league (Liga Premiere/LPI) set up without the involvement of PSSI or by the fact it could not organize a peaceful congress whose sole goals were to adopt an electoral code and elect an electoral commission.
The FIFA Emergency Committee therefore came to the conclusion that the PSSI leadership had lost all its credibility in Indonesia and was no longer in a position to solve the current crisis.
In a bid to prepare the congress, Agum Gumelar had had a meeting with President of the World Soccer Association (FIFA, Joseph S. Blatter at the organization`s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland in last April.
He mentioned the most important issues in the meeting was the decision of FIFA on the four candidates Nurdin Halid, George Toisutta, Arifin Panigoro and Nirwan Bakrie who had been rejected by the PSSI Appellate Committee.
In the meantime, Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng ruled out any tolerance for any party that wished to hold a rival congress outside or deviating from the rules determined by FIFA.
"The Normalization Committee has been assigned to prepare and organize the congress. So all parties should accept the decisions made by the committee. It is clear that we will not support a rival congress," the minister said.
Millions of Indonesian people as well as FIFA are now eagerly awaiting the staging of the PSSI congress and looking forward to the election of a PSSI leadership capable of bringing progress to the association in the 2011-2015 period.(*)B003/HAJM/F001
Reporter: Bustanuddin
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
