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Long-Delayed Final Indonesian Football Match Rescheduled for Sunday
Sandy Pramuji | August 06, 2010

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Indonesia. Barring any last minute cancellations, Persik Kediri and Persebaya Surabaya are finally going to see an end to their Super League season.

League administrator Liga Indonesia (PTLI) on Friday said the two clubs have been scheduled to play their long-delayed game in Palembang, South Sulawesi, on Sunday.

“This is our final decision, which I hope will turn out well because we cannot waste our energy and time for just this one match. We have to start focusing on next season,” PTLI chief executive Joko Driyono said in a phone interview on Friday.

However, Joko ruled that the Persik-Persebaya match, the only league game remaining unsettled after having been postponed twice, will be played at an empty Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, because the league administrator wanted to preempt the threat of fan violence.

“We chose Palembang because we didn’t encounter any problems in obtaining a permit there, and we decided to play it on Sunday because the league has to end before fasting month,” Joko said.

After their April 29 match in Kediri was called off because of police permit issues, Persik and Persebaya were then scheduled to play on Thursday.

According to an official report submitted to the PTLI by match commissioner Muhammad Saugi, confusion in securing the match permit was again the reason for the latest postponement.

“Last month Persik showed to us the match permit issued by East Java Police. However, last Tuesday Persik said the Kediri Police had decided not to give a recommendation for the match, even though East Java Police, which has the authority over Kediri, did not void the permit,” Joko said.

“On Thursday morning, the day of the match, Persik said the Kediri Police had issued the match permit, but the problem was that Persebaya had not been properly informed of the [latest] development.

Persebaya and Persik are in 16th and 17th places in the league, respectively. Both teams have 36 points, three behind Pelita Jaya, which sits in 15th.

Both Persik and Persebaya still have a chance to finish in 15th place, although the odds favor Persebaya, which only needs to win by a three-goal margin to take 15th place. Persik must win by at least 7-0.

The team in 15th place at the end of Sunday’s match will face Premier Division side Persiram Raja Ampat in a relegation playoff. With the new schedule in place, PTLI is looking to hold the playoff either on Tuesday or Wednesday in Palembang.