Fikri Harish, Jakarta – The spotlight is back on the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) as the oft-criticized sport governing body is set to elect a new chairman in an extraordinary congress on Thursday.
With the memory of the Kanjuruhan stadium tragedy still fresh in the public's mind, and the subpar performance of Indonesia in the 2022 Asian Football Federation (AFF) Cup, expectations are high that the new leadership could restore the PSSI's bruised reputation.
Five names are in the running for the new chairman position, but most of the attention is on the two frontrunners, State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir and former PSSI chairman between 2013-2015 La Nyalla Mattalitti, both of whom claimed to already have the necessary number of votes to win.
During the congress, 87 PSSI voting members will vote on the next chairman, along with several deputy chairmen and the 10 executive committee members that will lead the PSSI until 2027.
As part of his campaign, the Regional Representative Council (DPD) speaker promised provincial associations last week that they would receive a Rp 1 billion (US$65,700) subsidy from the PSSI for the purpose of running youth soccer programs.
The 34 provincial associations make up a portion of the PSSI voting members, along with the 50 soccer clubs from Liga 1, Liga 2 and Liga 3, while the Indonesian Futsal Federation, the Women Soccer Association and Soccer Referee Association each have one vote.
Meanwhile, Erick's bid for the chairman position has garnered more public support from the younger generation.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's younger son Kaesang Pangarep, as well as popular celebrities Atta Halilintar and Raffi Ahmad, who own Persis Solo, FC Bekasi City and Bogor-based Rans Nusantara FC soccer clubs, respectively, have publicly voiced their support for the minister.
Sriwijaya FC president Hendri Zainuddin claimed that Erick had secured the backing of 60 of the 87 voting members in January.
Outside of the sporting world, former Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) politician Tsamara Amany and the founder of media company Asumsi Pangeran Siahaan launched a youth movement with the intent of supporting Erick's bid, on Jan. 19.
To address the many problems plaguing Indonesian soccer, Erick has promised a comprehensive overhaul of the organization.
"As I've said before, we have to fight against these dirty hands in soccer. They're like a vicious circle that hampers [the progress of Indonesian soccer]", said Erick last week, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.