From Salary Arrears, Opportunities for Match Fixing Emerge (Article 4-finished)

The issue of salary arrears continues to emerge amid PSSI's efforts to lead the Indonesian national team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. It is like two different universes. The Indonesian national team is capable of competing at the Asian level with top continental countries, while the national competition has yet to break free from the long-standing taboos that have occurred.

Based on Kompas' findings this March, professional clubs competing in League 1 and 2 as well as amateur teams competing in the Nusantara League (League 3) and League 4 are still not free from the problem of salary arrears. Six League 1 clubs, 13 League 2 clubs, two Nusantara League clubs, and six League 4 clubs still have debts to their former players.

In total, there are 214 football players who have yet to receive their entitlements from the period of 2019 to 2025. They have fulfilled their duties as per their contracts to play on the green field, but the clubs have not completed their rights.

The total outstanding player rights, which include salaries, contract advance payments, contract compensation, and various other payments such as flight ticket reimbursements and medical care, amount to more than Rp 11 billion.

The nominal amount is the accumulation of salary arrears for local players reaching Rp 9.87 billion. Additionally, several clubs are also still in arrears for payments to foreign players amounting to 75,799 United States dollars or equivalent to Rp 1.27 billion.

Akmal Marhali, a member of the Anti-Mafia Football Task Force established by PSSI, expressed regret over the lack of concrete steps from national football stakeholders to address the issue of players' salary arrears. According to Akmal, the delay in salary payments reflects the unhealthy climate and ecosystem of Indonesian football.

"Late salaries make the players' kitchens not smoking. This is the same as opening the door to match fixing. This is terrible and cannot be underestimated," said Akmal, Thursday (4/24/2025).

In order to minimize the potential for salary arrears to continue in the upcoming seasons, Akmal hopes that PSSI and PT Liga Indonesia, as the competition operators, will take firm and impartial action against clubs that still have debts to players. Akmal, who is also the Coordinator of Save Our Soccer, stated that the sanction of being barred from competition is a fitting punishment for clubs that are in arrears with player salaries.

"Because the club has become a commercial entity, it is better for financially troubled clubs to be declared bankrupt. This can be pursued through the Commercial Court based on Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning Bankruptcy and Suspension of Debt Payment Obligations," he said.

Dede Sulaeman, a player of the Indonesian national team in the 1980s, added that the issue of salary arrears will certainly have a negative impact on the players' performance in matches. According to Dede, players in the current era rely solely on the income from the salaries provided by the club.

"In my time, players were also appointed as employees in state-owned enterprises and regional companies. We were indeed not paid by the clubs, but our minds were at ease because every month, even after retirement, we continued to receive a salary from the places where we were registered as employees," said Dede, who has been an employee of Pertamina since he was still actively playing.

The issue of salary arrears is actually also accompanied by a process through the National Dispute Resolution Chamber (NDRC) of PSSI. The decision from the NDRC is the basis for the players to demand their salaries from the club.

However, in practice, a handful of clubs still ignore the NDRC's decision. Sports law expert Eko Noer Kristiyanto stated that the establishment of the NDRC initiated by PSSI since 2023 is a step forward in addressing the issue of salary arrears. In the football community, Eko added, the NDRC's decision, which is in the form of recommendations, must be implemented.

"The NDRC decision is strong because the contract clause includes an agreement between the players and the club to pursue the NDRC route in the event of future disputes. The NDRC operates under PSSI, thus it is also PSSI's duty to uphold the dignity of the institution so that the entire football community enforces the NDRC decision without exception," said Eko.

Eko added that the players are actually very open to receiving various solutions regarding the salary arrears. In recent years, the decisions made by the NDRC have allowed for the payment of salary arrears to be made in installments or replaced with goods, such as vehicles or houses.

If clubs continue to deny the rights of players that have been agreed upon in contracts, Eko believes that this will have a negative domino effect on the clubs and Indonesian competition.

"FIFA can respond by banning the league or clubs from participating in international competitions. The image of the competition also becomes unfavorable. It is important to remember that salary arrears affect sponsors' perceptions of the league and clubs, which can impact the macro climate of the national sports industry," said Eko, who was previously a member of the verification team for Liga 1 and 2 of the Indonesian Professional Sports Agency (BOPI) for the 2019-2020 period.

In resolving their rights disputes, the players were also accompanied by the Indonesian Professional Footballers Association (APPI). APPI CEO M Hardika Aji stated that they are always coordinating with PSSI and PT LIB to oversee the process of resolving the contractual disputes experienced by the players.

"We always hope that clubs with ongoing contract disputes with players will resolve them promptly for the better implementation of the league," said Aji.

15 players = Rp 1,290,097,396 and 51,500 US dollars

136 players = Rp 4,699,442,933 and 24,299 US dollars

39 players = Rp. 3,638,405,324

24 players = Rp. 251,175,000