Indonesia threatens sanctions on soccer federation

BANGKOK, Nov 8 (Reuters) Indonesian sports chiefs have threatened the country's soccer federation (PSSI) with sanctions if it ignores FIFA's order to hold elections for a new president, local media reported.

The Indonesian Sports Council (KONI) said it would sever all ties with the PSSI if it failed to organise fresh polls, which jailed incumbent Nurdin Halid would be barred from.

''The council will rule out any sport associations receiving international sanctions,'' KONI chairwoman Rita Subowo was quoted as saying.

''If they are not recognised by the international federation, then we have to freeze the organisation too.'' The PSSI have so far refused to replace Halid, 48, who was jailed in September for two years for misusing 18 million dollars belonging to a logistics company he headed.

A FIFA associations committee last week said the PSSI's hastily-arranged April elections were not carried out within the agreed timeframe and new polls would need to be organised.

Halid, a businessman and a politician with Indonesia's powerful Golkar party, would not be allowed to contest the polls.

A PSSI delegation on Monday met with the president of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam, who urged them to create new statutes to fall in line with those of FIFA.

REUTERS TB RAI1742