Thohir has held both positions since 2024, contradicting FIFA's requirement for the independence of the two roles.

"I was warned by FIFA because nowhere else in the world does the president of the federation also serve as the head of the referee committee," Thohir told Indonesian media on the evening of 12/7.

Indonesian Football Association president Erick Thohir's disappointed expression while watching Indonesia lose 1-3 to Iraq in their opening match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 15/1/2024. Photo: Bola

The PSSI president then explained that he violated the regulations to prevent referee bribery in Indonesian football. "When I am the head of the referee committee, who dares to bribe me?" Thohir said.

The PSSI had targeted Japanese expert Yoshimi Ogawa as head of the committee, but Thohir felt the former Japanese referee was not yet familiar with the realities of Indonesian football. Therefore, Ogawa was appointed as deputy head. After a year, he is believed to be ready to take over Thohir's position.

"Ogawa was very stressed in his first year working with the referee committee. He didn't understand Indonesian football yet, so I accompanied him," the PSSI president said.

Furthermore, Thohir wants to create a favorable environment for Indonesian football, allowing development projects to reach their full potential. "Don't destroy the dreams of children from disadvantaged backgrounds who are affected by chaos and corruption in football," Thohir stated.

PSSI President Erick Thohir (left) and the new Head of the PSSI Referee Committee, Yoshimi Ogawa (right). Photo: Instagram/ErickThohir

In addition to being the PSSI President, Erick Thohir is also the Indonesian Minister of State-Owned Enterprises. He is also a member of the board of directors of Oxford United, an English Football League One club.

Thohir is an Indonesian billionaire who was the former president of Inter Milan and became the PSSI president for the 2023-2027 term. He has played a major role in transforming Indonesian football on the international stage, with a policy of quickly seeking and naturalizing players of mixed heritage, mainly from the Netherlands.

From being outside the top 150 in the FIFA rankings, Indonesia has risen to 118th. Their national team participated in the 2023 Asian Cup for the first time, reaching the round of 16. They also reached the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia for the first time and are preparing for the fourth round to compete for 2.5 spots. At the U23 level, Indonesia also reached the semi-finals of the 2024 U23 Asian Cup but missed out on an Olympic ticket after losing 0-2 to African representative Guinea in the play-off match.

Trung Thu (according to Bola)