KUALA LUMPUR: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) can only open investigations on the All-Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) if their prohibition against players featuring outside the country is made into an official rule by the Indonesian footballing body.
AFC Secretary General, Datuk Windsor Paul John, said that AFC need to look closely at the rules and regulations involved earlier before it is implemented and then only can investigations get underway if it clashes with Fifa’s regulations.
“However, based on what’s been informed, the action is more of a request to Indonesian players to enhance their national team.
“I feel it is up to the players themselves to make a decision. For the time being no action can be taken because it is still just a proposal.
“If it becomes a rule, then AFC need to look and see what is really meant and if it is against Fifa’s and AFC regulations, then we can commence investigations because players are free to play for just about any club in any country,” he said when contacted earlier today.
Prior to this, PSSI Head, Edy Rahmayadi had barred Indonesian players from joining clubs in Malaysia for fear that their style of play and tactics could be read and studied by Malaysia’s national team coach.
Edy’s voiced his objection and dismay after two stalwarts of the Indonesian Under-23 team, Evan Dimas and Ilham Udin Armaiyn had signed to play for Selangor for the coming new season. Edy criticised the duo for their move by labelling them as greedy and unpatriotic.
At the same time, Edy also expressed his concerns that Selangor would not release the players for their national team’s centralised training sessions in the build up to the Asian Games which will take place from August 18 to September 2 next year.