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Indonesia. Controversial Central Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo was replaced in a major reshuffle announced on Friday by the National Police Headquarters.

Though it comes just days after he shocked football fans nationwide when he halted the final of the Indonesian Cup, demanding the referee be replaced to maintain security in the arena, National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Untung Yoga Ana claimed the reassignment was routine

Alex, he said, was to be transferred to the National Police in Jakarta, where he will serve as an expert adviser to National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri.

Even as Untung stressed that the move had nothing to do with the football incident, the post of expert adviser is widely perceived as nothing but a sinecure, often rewarded to high-ranking officers who manage to get themselves into trouble.

“All the job transfers are regular and are done to suit the current needs of the organization and provide a chance of promotion,” said Untung, adding the latest reshuffle affected as many as 556 mid- and high-ranking officers.

Separately, Alex refused to speculate on the transfer or on the possibility of it being linked to his behavior toward referee Jimmy Napitupulu during the Aug. 1 Indonesian Cup final.

“I have not heard about the transfer. Even if it is true, then I have not received formal notification from the National Police Headquarters about my move to Jakarta,” Alex told reporters in Brebes, Central Java.

Comr. Suharyanto, Central Jakarta Police chief of legal affairs, said that even if the transfer were happening, it was nothing out of the ordinary. “The general has served as Central Java Police chief since Nov. 14, 2008. If he is assigned back to Jakarta, I think it’s about time,” Suharyanto said.

Alex stole the show in last weekend’s game broadcast live on TV, when he abruptly called for a break, in front of tens of thousands of spectators, at the Manahan Stadium in Solo, complaining that the referee was unfair and urging a replacement “for security reasons.”

Alex delayed the second half of Sunday’s Indonesian Cup final between Sriwijaya FC and Arema Malang for more than an hour as he tried to force organizers to replace Jimmy Napitupulu, one of the nation’s most-respected referees, who he believed had made a number of bad calls. Eventually, the match restarted and Sriwijaya went on to win 2-1 and claim the Cup for the third season in a row.

Following the incident, Alex offered an apology. “I apologize to all football lovers for delaying the Indonesian Cup final for more than an hour,” Alex said. “I did it simply because I love Indonesian football. Rather than risking unrest in the stadium, I chose instead to face public condemnation, which is less risky.”

According to Alex, the stadium’s atmosphere began to boil over because spectators, and Arema fans in particular, were angry with the referee’s first-half performance.

“There were thousands of supporters without tickets making a commotion by banging the gates of the stadium. The stadium could only accommodate 50,000 spectators, while there were 20,000 more outside. The police were experiencing difficulties in controlling them,” he said.

It was not the first time Alex drew fire for meddling in a football match. Last February, he ordered the arrest of two players from Gresik United and Persis Solo for exchanging punches on the pitch and brought criminal charges against them.

Friday’s announcement of a reshuffle also pointed to the transfers of nine other provincial police chiefs. Besides Central Java, the provinces that will have their police chief replaced are East Java (new chief: Insp. Gen. Badrodin Haiti), South Sulawesi (Insp. Gen. Waenal Usman), North Sulawesi (Sr. Comr. Carlos Tewu), Bali (Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko), Yogyakarta (Brig. Gen. Sutarsa), Jambi (Brig. Gen. Bambang Suparsono) and West Kalimantan (Brig. Gen. Sukrawardi Dahlan).