PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir has urged the I-League, the operator of the Elite Pro Academy (EPA), the Super League and Championship competitions, and the participating clubs to uphold mutual respect and empathy among players.
This was said by Erick after the embarrassing incident in the U-20 EPA Super League (EPA) match between Bhayangkara Presisi Lampung FC U-20 and Dewa United Banten FC U-20 on Sunday at the Citarum Stadium, Semarang, which also involved the Indonesian U-20 national team player, Fadly Alberto Hengga.
"Youth competitions should be a platform for the development of more mature, experienced, and capable players. Therefore, operators, clubs, officials, and all stakeholders must ensure that character development is as strong as technical development," said Erick, as quoted in an official PSSI statement on Wednesday.
PSSI itself does not condone any form of racist remarks, expressions or behavior in national football.
