Recent developments offer little hope for a
solution. The Indonesian Super League intends to restart despite talks to
establish a single top flight, ISL stars who answered call-ups by the Merah
Putih have been punished by their clubs and the Indonesian Football Savior
Committee (KPSI) plans to establish its own national team. Discord seems to be
the status quo.
But perhaps we’re thinking about this the
wrong way. The first law of quantitative economics states that “if a lot is
good, more is better,” after all, so having twice as much football as other
countries can only be a good thing.
Sure, it’s tempting to give in to
frustration and demand FIFA finally follow through on its threat to ban
Indonesia from international competition, but who does that really hurt? The
ISL finished an entire season as a rebel league without any consequences, so
FIFA sanctions would have little effect on it. The same cannot be said of the Indonesian
Premier League, for which FIFA and Asian Football Confederation recognition are
its only meaningful chips in the game.
Instead of continuing to gnash our teeth
and rend our garments, let us embrace the chaos. The inertia that keeps the ISL
and IPL separate is a boon to so many people. Just think of all the secretaries,
assistants and mid-level functionaries who are still in a job thanks to these
leagues’ refusal to compromise. Why won’t those job-killers at FIFA think of
the mid-level functionaries?
It’s not just the people in the league
offices. Twice as many leagues mean twice as many players, club staff and
referees – even if receiving a monthly salary is at best a 50-50 proposition
for said players and staff. Plus, twice as many roster spots to fill means the
average Indonesian’s chances of becoming a professional footballer are twice as
good. Why are those cultural imperialists at FIFA trying to crush the dreams of
hard-working Indonesians?
Football’s sphere of economic influence
spans so much further, though. Twice as many stadium rentals; twice as many
security personnel; twice as many passengers for taxis, ojeks and buses; twice
as many people selling “unofficial” merchandise at official events; twice as
much football on TV to boost ratings – this is a central piece of the
Indonesian economy we’re talking about here. Why are those greedheads at FIFA
so eager to deprive this emerging economy of its rightful revenue?
Don’t think of this as another example of
short-sighted gridlock. Instead, consider it a victory for the grand Indonesian
tradition of dialogue ad nauseam. Last week, The Economist said of President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, “By doing very little, Indonesia’s president is doing fine.” Like Rome’s Fabius Maximus did to Hannibal of Carthage during the Second
Punic War, Indonesia has a chance to bend FIFA to its will and continue reaping
the economic benefits of more football as long as it continues to do as little
as possible.
It’s not as though FIFA or the AFC have
shown much interest in hurrying along the process. The only deadline in the memorandum of understanding signed in June by the KPSI, ISL and Indonesian Football
Association (PSSI) involved holding a national congress by the end of this
year, and even then it included no sanctions or method of punishment in the
event of failure. If the continental and world football governing bodies can’t
be bothered to show leadership or demand accountability, it’s no wonder
Indonesia’s squabbling factions have found better things to do than fixing the
rift in the sport in the months since signing the MoU.
So let’s learn to stop worrying and love
the deadlock. Greet this impasse with the same benign resignation used when facing
Indonesia’s increasingly traffic-choked streets. After all, having twice as
much football can only benefit the people who really matter in this country –
bureaucrats.
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