Football
Antony Sutton 9y

Indonesian clubs try to fill void caused by ISL postponement

With Indonesian football in a state of flux following the postponement of the 2015 Super League (ISL) by a government body, clubs are scrambling to fill the void until the league kicks off in early April.

Bali United Pusam are busy preparing for their first season on the holiday isle of Bali. Previously known as Pusam and playing in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, the club's officials have been traversing the island, introducing themselves to potential new fans.

They have announced plans to hold a mini tournament in the second week of March and have gone as far as inviting Arema Malang, Persija Jakarta and one other, believed to be Pelita Bandung Raya. A healthy friendship exists between fans of Persija and Arema and, by inviting those two sides, Bali United will be hoping a fair-sized travelling support will boost the attendance.

Sriwijaya Palembang are another club who have expressed an interest in hosting a pre season tournament. The side from South Sumatra have been big investors during the break and hope an event featuring big-name clubs like Arema and Persib Bandung will prove popular with fans.

Two teams do have the luxury of playing competitive football. Persib [4-1 at home to New Radiant from the Maldives] and Persipura Jayapura [3-1 away to Warriors FC in Singapore] started their AFC Cup campaigns with impressive wins. They can both look forward to one more group stage game in the second week of March before the ISL kicks off.

However, before a match can go ahead, it needs a certificate from security officials who take into account circumstances as diverse as risk of crowd disorder, other events planned for the same day as well as guidance from the Professional Sports Council [known by its Indonesian initials BOPI] which is the same organisation that halted the league.

While coaches look for inventive ways of keeping their players busy during the enforced lull, behind the scenes the clubs are on a steep learning curve as they try to understand the regulations being imposed on them by BOPI.

One of the areas that alarmed BOPI was the issue of income tax with most clubs and players not registered, even though by law, employees must have a valid tax number. Liga Indonesia, the body that runs professional football in Indonesia, are doing their best to help clubs by organising a workshop with tax officials invited to explain to clubs their responsibilities.

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