Two more Lions could join breakaway league

It will be decision time soon for Casmir, Emuejeraye with Persija Jakarta mulling switch to LPI
by Shamir Osman
04:46 AM Mar 10, 2011 SINGAPORE - It started with Singapore captain Shahril Ishak and Baihakki Khaizan, the duo who took a leap of faith, jumping from the FIFA-sanctioned Indonesian Super League's (ISL) Persib Bandung to the breakaway Indonesian Premier League's (LPI) Medan Chiefs last month.

And they may soon be joined on the shaky unsanctioned turf by Lions team-mates Agu Casmir (right) and Precious Emuejeraye (left).

Casmir and Emuejeraye ply their trade with ISL club Persija Jakarta, arguably the biggest team in Indonesia, and with Persija mulling the possibility of joining the LPI, the naturalised Singaporeans will have to decide if they want to move with their employers.

Unhappy with a perceived lack of transparency in the ISL, where most clubs are funded by the Indonesian government, oil tycoon Arifin Panigoro launched the LPI, a renegade professional league that is privately funded and run, in a bid to reform Indonesian football.

Back in Singapore to attend to family matters, Emuejeraye left his options open, telling MediaCorp: "I owe a debt of gratitude to Singapore and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), and if I have options to stay in the sanctioned ISL, I will, despite the possibility of better money in the LPI.

"But we do have our own personal considerations, and the career of a footballer is not long, there has to be a point where we think of our families and personal issues."

Emuejeraye, 27, was awarded Singapore citizenship in August 2005 through the FAS' Foreign Sports Talent (FST) scheme.

FAS president Zainudin Nordin recently issued a statement that players who turn out for clubs in the LPI will get no support from the FAS, and risk being disqualified from playing for Singapore.

"Depending on FIFA's ruling on the issue, Shahril and Baihakki may find themselves disqualified from playing for Singapore and possibly FIFA-sanctioned leagues for a significant period of time," he said.

When contacted by MediaCorp, Casmir, who received his citizenship papers under the FST in September 2003, declined to comment on the matter.

While Richard Achmad Supriyanto, the secretary-general of Jakmania, Persija's fan-club, has come out in support for a switch from the ISL to the LPI, it remains to be seen if the club, which is in the hunt for the ISL title, will jump ship.

Persija are funded by the Jakarta administration and on Saturday, the city's governor, Fauzi Bowo, only nodded and waved when asked if the ISL side will join the LPI.

Said Emuejeraye: "We're not sure which way the club is going to go, there are several factors to consider, including the fact that we stand a chance of winning the ISL."

Persija are currently fourth in the 15-team league, which is halfway through its season.

LPI chief Panigoro is eyeing the top job in the Indonesia Football Association (PSSI), and will run against incumbent PSSI president Nurdin Halid in elections that world governing body FIFA insist must be conducted before April 30.

Nurdin was convicted in 2007 for misusing funds, but continued to run the PSSI.

Indonesian ambassador to Switzerland Joko Susilo told the Jakarta Globe: "Sepp Blatter said FIFA upholds the statutes that states a convict cannot lead a football organisation."