Ali Sadikin Was Once The General Chairman Of PSSI And Resigned Because Of Politics

Ali Sadikin when he was the General Chair of PSSI for the 1977-1981 period (Source: National Library of Indonesia)

JAKARTA - Ali Sadikin is a person who likes challenges. He succeeded in answering Soekarno's challenge to build Jakarta. After serving as Governor of DKI Jakarta, he was again challenged to build the All-Indonesian Football Association (PSSI). As usual, he answered the challenge with a bang.

Invite criticism. But PSSI fixed it in a short time. Elements of ceremonial matches were trimmed. But Ali chose to withdraw later. His decision became the government's opposition to the Petition 50 group that underlies it.

Ali Sadikin is not new to the world of sports. His devotion to the sport has been around for a long time. The most obvious is the birth of the Jaya Raya Foundation. Ali Sadikin initiated the Jaya Foundation while still serving as Governor of Jakarta (1966-1977).

The foundation was deliberately formed to protect football and athletic clubs that were on the rise. PT. Pembangunan Jaya, led by Ciputra – who later became a successful entrepreneur – was chosen as the main driver. So that the achievements of Jakarta athletes will increase, he said.

Ciputra also welcomed the idea of Ali Sadikin. Moreover, Ciputra himself has the same interest as Ali. Both are often called upon to discuss the fate of athletes and sports. For both, sport is like a weapon. The influence is great.

Sport can smell and be able to raise the dignity of the nation. The idea of establishing the Jaya Raya Foundation was carried out based on the collaboration between the DKI Jakarta Government and PT. Jaya Development. Ciputra was asked to serve on the board of directors. Meanwhile, Ali serves as the supervisory board.

Ali Sadikin when he was the General Chair of PSSI for the 1977-1981 period (Source: National Library of Indonesia)

“I don't want this foundation to act just as a name with a modest existence. I want total. So in the midst of my busy schedule, I took the time to encourage the management to immediately create something concrete. At that time Soekrisman and Hiskak Secakusuma took an active role. Since Ali Sadikin was most concerned about football, we immediately formed a football club. The Jayakarta Football Club was born.”

“A year later, we also gave birth to the Jayakarta Athletic Association led by Tjuk Sugiharto. However, when dealing with these two sports, I don't seem to have the right 'feeling'. The Jayakarta Club players are quite accomplished. A number of famous names were born and they were also drawn to PSSI to make Indonesia proud in competitions between countries. But running a soccer club is also not an easy challenge," said Ciputra as written by Alberthiene Endah in the book Ciputra The Entrepreneur: The Passion of My Life (2018).

His interest in the world of sports, especially football, has made Ali Sadikin's name hailed as a strong candidate for chairman of PSSI. Indonesian football fans consider the former governor of DKI Jakarta as the savior of PSSI. His name is echoed everywhere. From mass media to discussions.

That support reached Ali Sadikin's ears. He responded positively and wanted to answer the challenge. As a result, Ali Sadikin became a popular name when PSSI held an Extraordinary Congress in Semarang in 1977. He was elected by acclamation as the new PSSI General Chair. After that, the optimistic tone in the world of Indonesian football came.

“To talk about today's club-oriented football, one cannot turn a blind eye to the other side: hobbies, investments, entrepreneurship, management and quality. Not just playing picky from the results of amateur coaching. There are rules of the game. The difficulty, said a sports leader who did not want to be identified, is that most of the figures who hold the leadership of Bond in the region and other sports organizations are made up of high-ranking officials."

“Professionalization can mean losing their seat of prestige. In addition, of course, regional conditions are not the same as conditions in big cities such as the capital. If so, it will take time. But for how long? Now is the momentum, while PSSI is led by National Sports Leader Ali Sadikin," wrote Lukman Setiawan in his article in Tempo Magazine entitled Professionalism That Protests (1977).

Ali Sadikin's Gait at PSSI

Ali Sadikin when he was the General Chair of PSSI for the 1977-1981 period (Source: National Library of Indonesia)

Ali ran his first year as General Chairperson of PSSI well. He doesn't make any grandiose promises. The first step is focused on reforming, enforcing discipline, and creating a climate of hard work within PSSI. In reality, nothing is difficult for Ali. He made it happen in no time.

He started his leadership with a clear system of division of labor. There are no more concurrent positions and the chaotic work of the PSSI management, as in the previous period. Those who are chosen as administrators are devoted to those who are professionals in their fields. Not to those who have a lot of money. Even though PSSI's finances are in critical condition.

“In the financial sector, PSSI is very critical, Ali Sadikin admits. He added that the crisis was caused by the current management focusing more on the work program on coaching and competition. It is different from the previous management which prioritized matches against foreign teams regardless of whether or not the competition was going on.”

“According to Ali Sadikin, the remaining cash until the end of March (1978) was recorded at Rp. 1.9 million. Meanwhile, what was removed from income for eight months amounted to Rp. 344 million. To measure the success of Ali Sadikin's management at PSSI, which is only eight months old, I think it's a bit too early. Because the basic problems that he outlines have not all reached the target. After all, he started when PSSI was in crisis due to PSSI's past leadership style," wrote a Tempo Magazine report entitled Eight Months Together with Ali Sadikin (1978).

Ali Sadikin when he was the General Chair of PSSI for the 1977-1981 period (Source: National Library of Indonesia)

A ceremonial match against a foreign team was trimmed by Ali Sadikin. The match actually made PSSI ignore an important element of the course of coaching athletes, namely the existence of competition. However, Ali Sadikin's leadership does not mean the road is without criticism.

A lot of criticism was leveled at him. Especially regarding the achievements of the Indonesian national team which did not increase much. Ali Sadikin's narrative of success in building Jakarta, but not in building PSSI echoes.

Ali Sadikin, who is used to leading, thinks all criticism is the best input. He dared to admit that he was wrong. Instead, he did what he thought was right. Including when he started to choose the path as an opposition to the government and chose to join the Petition 50 group in 1980.

Ali Sadikin does not want the PSSI he leads to be affected. He chose to relinquish his position as Chairman of PSSI. All by keeping PSSI cheap.

“Ali Sadikin, familiarly called Bang Ali, is one of the most vocal, consistent and well-known Petisi 50 figures. Now he is 74 years old and is suffering from kidney disease. When he and his friends started Petition 50, he was 54 years old. Just finished his successful gubernatorial term survived two terms of service.”

“If he doesn't move Petition 50, surely there will still be a higher career open, maybe a minister, maybe vice president. Maybe the president? Impossible. He was dismissed from the official political stage precisely because he was very popular and very likely to be a candidate for the presidency,” concluded the founder of Kompas Daily, Jacob Oetama in the book Suara Conscience: Selected editorials 1991-2001 (2001).

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