Top Indonesian official disappointed over severe FIFA sanction

Sumardji, Chairman of the Indonesian National Team Executive Board, believes the FIFA punishment imposed on him is unjustified.

Sumardji, the Chairman of the Indonesian National Team Executive Board (BTN) under the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), has been handed a heavy sanction by FIFA. He is banned from participating with Indonesia’s national teams for 20 matches and fined 15,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to 324 million rupiah.

The decision was made by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee (Komdis) on November 18, 2025, after Sumardji was found to have violated Article 14, paragraph (1), point (l) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. He was deemed to have assaulted an official involved in the match.

Sumardji has also responded to FIFA’s punishment. He finds the sanction from the world football organization quite strange. "Yes, that’s all there is. The penalty imposed by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee is a 20-match ban across all levels of the Indonesian national teams. I am deeply disappointed because this case is truly unreasonable."

Following a 0-1 defeat to Iraq, Indonesia’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup vanished. FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee then issued a statement regarding the incident after the match. According to FIFA, Sumardji breached several important regulations.

"The accused, Sumardji Sumardji, was found guilty of violating Article 14, paragraph (1), point (l) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) for assaulting a referee during the match between Iraq and Indonesia held on October 11, 2025 within the framework of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers", the FIFA Disciplinary Committee stated.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee highlighted seven key points related to the case. One of these points stated that Sumardji, the head of the Indonesian team delegation, received a red card from the Chinese referee Ma Ning after the match concluded. "According to the referee’s report, the team manager was sent off for pushing the referee from behind in an offensive manner," the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s report said. This underscores the seriousness of the violation committed by the Indonesian team during the match.