Iwan Bule Brings Up Again The Reasons For Not Wanting To Resign After Kanjuruhan Tragedy: Don't Want National Football To Lose Direction

PSSI 2019-2023 General Chairman, Mochamad Iriawan. (Photo: Cosmas Kopong Beda/VOI)

JAKARTA – PSSI general chairman Mochamad Iriawan again revealed the reasons why he was reluctant to resign even though he received pressure from the community after the Kanjuruhan tragedy.

This was conveyed by a figure who is familiarly called Iwan Bule at the PSSI's ordinary broad congress (KLB) for the election of the general chairman, deputy chairman, and members of the executive committee at the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, Thursday, 16 February 2023.

"I think the transformation of football has been carried out. So, I convey the tragedy when I was pushed back. I don't want to leave my position, I don't want no one to control this football," he said.

Iwan Bule faced tremendous pressure after the Kanjuruhan tragedy which claimed 135 lives in early October last year because he was deemed to have failed to manage national football.

Even so, he chose not to mention the pressure and preferred to survive. Even so, his term ended prematurely after a joint fact-finding team recommended that the extraordinary congress should be sped up.

PSSI then formed a football transformation task force team and accelerated the extraordinary congress that was held today. This congress will elect a new chairman to replace Iriawan.

"So I decided to stay and make a transformation. I was assisted by various stakeholders and, thank God, there have been results from the transformation," he said.

As many as five people have advanced to become a candidate for general chairman of PSSI for the 2023-2027 period. They are Erick Thohir, Doni Setiabudi, Arif Putra Wicaksono, La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti, Fajar Djemi Francis.

However, the last name withdrew on Wednesday, February 15. However, in the statement we received, he did not specify the reasons why he withdrew closer to D-day.