Jakarta. Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali said on Friday the government has no authority to resume top-flight football competition Liga 1, which has been suspended since the tragic incident that killed more than 130 people of mostly football fans in a stadium crush in Malang on October 1.

Zainudin said whether or not the current football season continues depends solely on police approval based on their security and safety assessment.

"Many may have misunderstood as if the permit for the competition was in the hands of the government or the Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry. That’s not the case," Zainudin said during a visit to the B-Universe newsroom.

"If the police signal that the competition may resume, I will invite all related parties to a coordination meeting on the restart of the football competition." 

Zainudin was at the B-Universe newsroom for an interview with BTV and to formally launch “Semesta Bola” (football universe), a special program on the 2022 World Cup run by the media group’s affiliate Beritasatu.com.

His remarks came three days after the Indonesian Football Association, or PSSI, appealed to the government for Liga 1 resumption.

PSSI Chairman Mochamad Iriawan said he made the “urgent call” because many people depend on the competition to make a living.

"We feel pity for them if the competition is stopped early. Players, kit men, and SME traders will be dealt with great suffering," the retired police general said.

He claimed that the association has followed all directives from the government, the world football governing body FIFA, and the Asian Football Confederation regarding measures to improve stadium safety and match procedures in compliance with international standards following the tragic incident.

The Association of Indonesian Professional Footballers (APPI) also has said that the prolonged hiatus could affect "the livelihood of players” and create new problems.

Liga 1 organizing company Liga Indonesia Baru has proposed the restart of the competition on November 18, November 25, or December 2 so that it can be concluded in April next year at the latest because Indonesia will host the U-20 World Cup in May.

The company also expects the government to decide before it conducts an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting on November 15.

Liga 1 involves 18 teams with each having played only 11 matches at the most before the suspension of the total 34 matches any team must play throughout the season.