Jakarta Casual

Surabaya recently got the Bung Tomo Stadium. Bandung is getting a new stadium. Backwaters like Samarinda, Palembang and Soreang have decent enough stadia that can be used for intr\international games.

But Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city, has very little in the way of sporting infrastructure. No profit in it I guess for the nation's builders who see malls and condos on every piece of waste land.

A few years ago Persija's spiritual home, Menteng Stadium, right in the heart of the old money suburb of Menteng was destroyed to make way for something that resembles a park. Ironically the stadium was demolished while the city of Jakarta was being led by a man who professed to be a fan of Persija but he allowed no sympathy to stand in the way of the demolition.

So Jakarta, in the 21st century and with none months to go until it co-hosts the SEA Games, boasts the following sports arena.

Stadium Utama Gelora Bung Karno - 88,000
Lebak Bulus - 12,500
Soemaantri Brojonegoro - 7,500 (?)
Kamal Muara -
Tugu Stadium - 4,500 (?)

Pitiful, isn't it. That a major capital city in a country that nce aspired to host the world cup should be so bereft of stadiums. 96,000 saw the AFF Cup Final. 85,000 saw an Indonesia Super League game last season. So don't tell me the interest ain't there.

Now comes news that Lebak Bulus, a real football stadium as opposed to a sports stadium with a running track, is to be knocked down to make way for a mass transit system. Yea, yea, la-di-da, there are fine words that an alternative would be built, preferably nearby but that is highly inlikey isn't it. Not a lot of space along TB Simatupang Road for much of anything.

There has been talk of a new stadium being built in the Sunter area but news is at a minimum.

It's clear what Jakarta needs. A 50,000 seater stadium with good access to roads. But no-one has the vision to make it happen. Compare that to The Thunderdome just outside Bangkok. Two years ago it was little more than a field. Now it is a fully enclosed modern football stadium capabe of holding up to 25,000. And built with private funds.

We're unlikely to see that here. At least in my life time.

What it's like to be a football fan in a football daft country where the elite hate you...

UPDATE - thanks to everyone who pointed out I had omitted one stadium Kamal Muara. For some reason I thought it was actually in Tangerang but it seems not. It's in Penjaringan and will be used by Batavia Union in the LPI when it's ready.