Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng held a meeting with FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin Al Hussein here Tuesday to discuss issues affecting Indonesian football and the upcoming congress of PSSI (Indonesian Football Association).

"I and Prince Ali exchanged views. A lot of things were discussed. And the main thing was about the upcoming PSSI congress preparations for which have not yet been completed," Minister Mallarangeng said after the meeting with the FIFA vice president.

At the meeting, the minister was accompanied among others by Rita Subowo, chairperson of KONI/KOI (Indonesian Sports Committee).

Prince Ali, according to the minister, expressed his hope that the congress could run smoothly and would be able to elect a new PSSI chairman and vice chairman as well as new members of the PSSI Executive Committee for the 2011-2015 period.

The FIFI vice president also hoped that at the upcoming congress, PSSI would be able to open a new chapter so that PSSI would not get a sanction from FIFA, the minister said.

"We thank the FIFA vice president for his great attention to the conditions of football in Indonesia," Mallarangeng said.

He and Prince Ali also discussed FIFA programs such as Gold Program that will be applied in Indonesia.

"We discussed many issues. For sure the objective is to improve the performance of Indonesia`s football," the minister said.

Prince Ali is also scheduled to meet Vice President Boediono, Army Chief of Staff George Toisutta, and the Normalization Committee`s chairman and members.

FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) Vice President Prince Ali bin Al Hussein is on a visit here on June 13-14, 2011.

FIFA 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 aimed at adopting an electoral code and electing an electoral commission.(*)
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Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011