Monday, April 13, 2015
Persipasi 'Promoted' To Indonesia's Top Flight
The longest soap opera of the pre season has finally ended with the announcement Pelita Bandung Raya will merge with Persipasi* and be known as Persipasi Bandung Raya. This is wonderful news for Persipasi of course; they had been looking forward to a campaign in the Nusantara League, Indonesia's third tier, but now find themselves dining at the top table. If in name only.
Bekasi will be the latest stop for the team formerly known as Pelita Jaya. Since their inception they have played home games in, deep breath, Jakarta, Cilegon, Solo, Purwakarta, Soreang, Karawang...apologies if I missed any out!
PBR's future had been under cloud all during the pre season break as they club struggled to find a stadium. Si Jalak Harupat was too big and too expensive; Siliwangi Stadium was ruled out by the ISL. The announcement and the name change come two games into the new season that has since been halted by the government (in any other country that sentence would be seen as ludicrous!).
Of course quite when PBR will be able to settle in their new home remains to be seen. Persipasi couldn't use the new Patriot Stadium last season because of um, well because someone didn't want them to and with the season taking a break so politicians can have their fun who knows when the league will return?
What of the PBR fans in Soreang or Bandung? There were only a couple so I guess their views have been discounted. What of the Pelita Jaya fans in Karawang? Long time ago lah. And Persipasi fans? What think they of this wondrous gift that has dropped in their laps after the season has started?
*Apparently it is not a merger. Persipasi bought shares in PBR. Wow, I wasn't aware Persipasi had the type of money to go out investing. Still, think of that lolly sloshing around in the league thanks to the big sponsorship deal.
Bekasi will be the latest stop for the team formerly known as Pelita Jaya. Since their inception they have played home games in, deep breath, Jakarta, Cilegon, Solo, Purwakarta, Soreang, Karawang...apologies if I missed any out!
PBR's future had been under cloud all during the pre season break as they club struggled to find a stadium. Si Jalak Harupat was too big and too expensive; Siliwangi Stadium was ruled out by the ISL. The announcement and the name change come two games into the new season that has since been halted by the government (in any other country that sentence would be seen as ludicrous!).
Of course quite when PBR will be able to settle in their new home remains to be seen. Persipasi couldn't use the new Patriot Stadium last season because of um, well because someone didn't want them to and with the season taking a break so politicians can have their fun who knows when the league will return?
What of the PBR fans in Soreang or Bandung? There were only a couple so I guess their views have been discounted. What of the Pelita Jaya fans in Karawang? Long time ago lah. And Persipasi fans? What think they of this wondrous gift that has dropped in their laps after the season has started?
*Apparently it is not a merger. Persipasi bought shares in PBR. Wow, I wasn't aware Persipasi had the type of money to go out investing. Still, think of that lolly sloshing around in the league thanks to the big sponsorship deal.
# posted by Me @ 10:35 AM 
