Sunday, April 26, 2015
Pity Poor Persija
So the Indonesia Super League was meant to restart yesterday under the auspices of the PSSI. Or the government. It didn't start...the four games scheduled were called off because the police would not give security clearances.
Pity poor Persija? They seemd to have found enough money from somewhere to make the long journey east only to find out their game with Persipura would not go ahead after, would you please return from whence you came.
Embarrassing really that the league would allow the club to even make the bloody journey and it is a long journey. If you get a direct flight it is about seven hours. Transit and the hours roll over like a taxi meter at the Tomang flyover. A long, painful ride for the players at the best of time, more so for players who haven't been training too much because of a dispute with their club over unpaid salaries.
If the government did care so much about football like they are implying why didn't they call Persija and say 'hey, don't book the flights but why don't you use the money to pay the players something. You know, goodwill, that sort of stuff'.
Most clubs are used to travelling to Jayapura and returning pointless. Persija's trip too was pointless.
There are no winners in this ugly mess. Football is the loser, fans are the losers and Indonesia's reputation takes a further battering overseas.
How many of the foreign players will want to stick around at the end of the season? We have already seen two foreign coaches leave; Alfred Riedl left PSM citing illness and Scott Cooper left Mitra Kukar. I guess we can look forward to the likes of Rahmad Darmawan or Benny Dollo back at the helm of the national team in a World Cup qualifying year.
As the Sex Pistols once say 'No Future, No Future'.
Pity poor Persija? They seemd to have found enough money from somewhere to make the long journey east only to find out their game with Persipura would not go ahead after, would you please return from whence you came.
Embarrassing really that the league would allow the club to even make the bloody journey and it is a long journey. If you get a direct flight it is about seven hours. Transit and the hours roll over like a taxi meter at the Tomang flyover. A long, painful ride for the players at the best of time, more so for players who haven't been training too much because of a dispute with their club over unpaid salaries.
If the government did care so much about football like they are implying why didn't they call Persija and say 'hey, don't book the flights but why don't you use the money to pay the players something. You know, goodwill, that sort of stuff'.
Most clubs are used to travelling to Jayapura and returning pointless. Persija's trip too was pointless.
There are no winners in this ugly mess. Football is the loser, fans are the losers and Indonesia's reputation takes a further battering overseas.
How many of the foreign players will want to stick around at the end of the season? We have already seen two foreign coaches leave; Alfred Riedl left PSM citing illness and Scott Cooper left Mitra Kukar. I guess we can look forward to the likes of Rahmad Darmawan or Benny Dollo back at the helm of the national team in a World Cup qualifying year.
As the Sex Pistols once say 'No Future, No Future'.
# posted by Me @ 10:16 AM 
