Saturday, August 04, 2012
Indonesia's Finest Football Ambassadors
 |
| Persebaya fans greet their Persitara counterparts |
Persebaya’s notorious support, known as Bonek, are in the
news again. This time though the news isn’t about rioting fans or supporters
falling off trains. Instead the news is positive. At a time when Indonesian
football is just another synonym for disaster the fans of Persebaya Surabaya
are being held up as a positive.
Queens Park Rangers are not one of the biggest teams in
England. They are not even one of the biggest in London. But they do now have a
rich owner who happens to come from Malaysia and through that link the west
London team have spent a week or so in South East Asia playing friendlies and
raising their profile.
The tour started in Sabah against a state select team that
featured the likes of Robbie Gaspar, a familiar name in Indonesian football
circles, Titus Bonai, an Indonesian striker who just signed for BEC Tero in
Thailand and Baihakki Khaizan who had spells with Persija, Persib and Medan
Chiefs.
QPR won 5-0. From Sabah they flew from the giant island of
Borneo to the Malay Peninsula for their second friendly against Malaysian
champions Kelantan. The team from the north east of the country are known for
their own passionate support but this game was played in Shah Alam, just
outside Kuala Lumpur. QPR won 5-0.
Next up was Surabaya and the Bonek. Rather like skinheads
and hippies, ‘polite’ society recoil at the mere mention of the word. Thousands
of teenage scamps, street kids and students clad in green sharing a middle
finger to all authority, Bonek are like the boogey man. When they hit town the
inhabitants shutter down for the duration.
Their reputation, like skinheads, punks and hippies,
proceeds them. They are deemed guilty by association. Once, when they played
away to Persib Bandung, TV cameras showed their progress as they travelled by
economy train across the island of Java. Repelled and fascinated at the same
time, viewers found themselves watching speechless as the young fans filled the
coaches of the train and clambered on the roof or clung on to the engine.
The authorities, it seemed, were powerless to stop them. At
various stations along the route local youths spilled out from their kampongs
to throw rocks at the Persebaya fans despoiling their turf and of course the
camera crews were there to beam it to their audience.
Queens Park Rangers knew none of this of course. Joey
Barton, the closest English football has to a Bonek, wasn’t on the trip,
suspended after his behavior away to Manchester City when City won the Premier
League. They were here to play a one off friendly, Surabaya was just the last
game on the tour.
An estimated 1,000 motorcyles followed the QPR team bus, and
motorcycle outriders, out to the Bung Tomo Stadium. Inside the stadium 55,000
fans sang and chanted themselves hoarse. QPR had come to play football; they
left blown away by the home team’s support.
There were massive banners and flags, fireworks,
choreographed displays. For one evening Persebaya’s fearsome Bonek had become
Indonesia’s football ambassadors and the visitors were impressed, taking to the
internet to tell everyone about the incredible evening they had just enjoyed in
indonesia’s second city.
Coming in the week that Everton and Galatasary pulled out of
a trip to Indonesia to compete in the Java Cup, the Bonek at least ensured
football in the country had regained some pride in the eyes of the world.
COMMENT - this was written 25 July for the Jakarta Globe. No idea if they used it or not!
# posted by Me @ 4:06 PM 
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