Sunday, October 21, 2007
PSS v Persib 1-1
A goal 10 minutes from time by Nova earned Persib a point in this bitter battle played out in front of a large, passionate crowd in Sleman's impressive new stadium.
I want to like Persib, I really do. They are a big club, have fanatical support, more than a thousand followed them yesterday, and they have great potential. Their football though is niggly and in your face. A bit like Leeds in the early 70's these guys are snapping at ankles, rolling theatrically and leaving the boot where it can make the best possible impression. The low point came yesterday when Patricio Giminez, tall and long flowing hair, was substitued. Jiminiz is always going to stand out in a crowd and he was getting in involved in nonsense so with 10 minutes to go Persib decided to substitute him. Losing 1-0 he took an age to leave the pitch, stopping at one time to deliberately do up his shoelaces. When the game continued Persib got a corner Nova got a free header at the near post to equalise.
The worst play acting concerned a PSS player called Neime or something like that. Tussling with Persib striker Zaenal Arief he appeared to receive a mighty whack and fell to the ground theatrically holding his face and rolloing round for an age. TV replayes showed Zaenal's arm to be nowhere hear his face but the tone was set and again the notion of fair play was ditched for another game.
FIFA have instructed refs to do something about simulation, the polite term for being a cheating twat rolling round like a hippo in mud, but like so much that comes from their by that time it reaches Indonesia it's ignored or watered down. The excuse, as so often here, is this is Indonesia.
I want to like Persib, I really do. They are a big club, have fanatical support, more than a thousand followed them yesterday, and they have great potential. Their football though is niggly and in your face. A bit like Leeds in the early 70's these guys are snapping at ankles, rolling theatrically and leaving the boot where it can make the best possible impression. The low point came yesterday when Patricio Giminez, tall and long flowing hair, was substitued. Jiminiz is always going to stand out in a crowd and he was getting in involved in nonsense so with 10 minutes to go Persib decided to substitute him. Losing 1-0 he took an age to leave the pitch, stopping at one time to deliberately do up his shoelaces. When the game continued Persib got a corner Nova got a free header at the near post to equalise.
The worst play acting concerned a PSS player called Neime or something like that. Tussling with Persib striker Zaenal Arief he appeared to receive a mighty whack and fell to the ground theatrically holding his face and rolloing round for an age. TV replayes showed Zaenal's arm to be nowhere hear his face but the tone was set and again the notion of fair play was ditched for another game.
FIFA have instructed refs to do something about simulation, the polite term for being a cheating twat rolling round like a hippo in mud, but like so much that comes from their by that time it reaches Indonesia it's ignored or watered down. The excuse, as so often here, is this is Indonesia.
# posted by Me @ 8:51 AM 
