TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - FIFA has penalized Indonesia's Football Association PSSI for the discrimination incident that occurred during the national team match against Bahrain in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian zone at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, on March 25, 2025.
PSSI Executive Committee member Arya Sinulingga stated that the federation has received the decision letter from FIFA on Saturday, May 10, 2025. "Yesterday, we received a letter from FIFA, with reference to FDD-23338, regarding Article 15 on Discrimination. The decision from FIFA states that PSSI is responsible for the discriminatory behavior of supporters during the Indonesia vs Bahrain match on March 25, 2025," he was quoted by PSSI on Sunday, May 11, 2025.
In the decision letter, Arya said, FIFA highlighted the supporters in the south and north stands of the GBK Stadium, specifically in sector 19 at the 80th minute of the match. At that moment, around 200 home supporters chanted xenophobic slogans, 'Bahrain blablabla'. "As a result, PSSI was fined more than Rp 400 million, and then PSSI was ordered by FIFA to play the next match with a limited number of spectators," he said.
FIFA is one of the international federations that rejects xenophobic actions, given its responsibility to oversee various federations from countries around the world. Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of strangers or those who are different from oneself. Matters related to xenophobia can stem from race, nationality, religion, and other distinguishing characteristics.
As a result of the penalty, PSSI is obligated to close around 15 percent of the available seats in the Indonesia vs China match on June 5, 2025, especially in the stands behind the goals, namely the north and south stands. "But FIFA also provides an alternative, it is allowed for the 15 percent to be given to anti-discrimination communities or specific communities such as families, perhaps students, or women. They must display anti-discrimination banners," Arya said.
Arya stated that FIFA also requested PSSI to create a comprehensive plan regarding discourse and actions against discrimination in the Indonesian football ecosystem.
This is done because FIFA is a global federation that prioritizes equality, humanity, and respecting each other. "So there should be no hate speech, racism, and others. This is a lesson for all of us, clearly detrimental to all of us, but we have to bear it together. So, in the future, we have to start taking literacy and educational steps for supporters to refrain from engaging in discriminatory actions," he said.
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