Erick Thohir: Build Football Can't Start From The Bottom Or Above, But The Entire Pyramid

JAKARTA - It is considered that the improvement of Indonesian football cannot only be done from one direction. However, it must be done simultaneously.

"Building football cannot start from below or above, sometimes we have to start all over the pyramid," said Chairman of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Erick Thohir quoting Antara.

Erick explained his vision and mission in deforming Indonesian football, including increasing the level of the Indonesian League in Southeast Asia.

Within ASEAN's scope, Thailand is still at the top with 54,873 points, followed by Malaysia with 40,039, followed by Vietnam (35,038), Singapore (29,405), Cambodia (19,562), and Indonesia (18,653) in sixth position.

This ranking is a sign that Indonesia must immediately improve and take concrete steps in improving the quality of the league so that it does not lag behind other Southeast Asian countries.

"The Indonesian League cannot be ranked 6th in Southeast Asia, it can't. So I told them if it was still like this, we would reshuffle all of its management," said Erick.

PT Liga Indonesia Baru (PT LIB), which is the operator of the League 1 competition, said that Indonesian football still has to face other challenges, namely increasing the club's competitiveness in international competitions.

"Various steps have been taken, including improving match operational standards, club professionalism, more transparent league management, as well as improving soccer facilities and infrastructure in Indonesia," said PT LIB President Director Ferry Paulus on March 4.