JAKARTA (AFP)– Indonesia's rebel football league will kick off at the weekend, its organisers said Thursday, defying the official league sanctioned by the sport's governing body.
The Indonesian Premier League (LPI), which is backed by oil tycoon Arifin Panigoro, will kick off Saturday with 19 clubs from"many provinces," said LPI general Arya Abhiseka.
"Our aim is to improve conditions for football in Indonesia, which we think is in a slump," Abhiseka told AFP.
The LPI series will compete with the Indonesia Super League (ISL), which began its season in September under the auspices of the FIFA-approved Indonesia Football Association (PSSI).
Despite the PSSI warning players competing in the LPI that they will not be eligible for the national squad, the rival league has attracted at least one big club, Persema Malang, which fields star striker Irfan Bachdim.
Other big teams who have joined the new league are Persebaya Surabaya and Persibo Bojonegoro, who have all moved away from the ISL.
"We still have to wait and see whether LPI can really produce quality players," said football analyst Anton Sanjoyo."There's no such thing as an instant success in football."
Indonesia's national team has enjoyed a surge of interest in the country of nearly 240 million people, and last month came second to Malaysia in the AFF Suzuki Cup, which is contested by Southeast Asian countries.
Indonesia is 127th in the FIFA world rankings.
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