Jakarta Casual

You would think it was pretty simple. Persebaya come from Surabaya and boast massive support around the country. Back in 2011 they opted to enter the then rebel Premier League and their support went with them.

Thing is another entity, also confusingly called Persebaya, continued to play in the official league and fans stayed away in droves. Persebaya in the IPL, known as Persebaya 1927 took the fans with them and a local derby against Arema, the IPL one, not the ISL one (I hope you are keeping up) attracted 55,000 fans to the Bung Tomo Stadium.

While there were two leagues there continued to be two Persebayas. And when they leagues finally merged into one again in 2014 there were still two Persebayas; one that was a rebrand of Persikubar from East Kalimantan and one that lived on in the hearts and minds of the fanatical fans known as Bonek.

I went to one game at Bung Tomo when an expensively assembled Persebaya thrashed Perseru...the crowd was two or three thousand in that large arena. The players made more noise than the fans!

One reason the league has been cancelled in Indonesia and the association suspended is due in part to Persebaya. BOPI, bless their little cotton buds, said the league had to sort the ownership issues surrounding Persebaya. Difficult when the top bloke at the club was growing ever more influential in the corridors of footballing power.

The 2015 ISL season saw Persebaya continue irrespective of the strictures from on high until the league was halted. Now we have the President Cup and Persebaya United were drawn in the group hosted in Bandung. Reaching the quarter final stage where ties will be played home and away the rebranded Persebaya United seem to have decided to play their home games on the island of Bali. So much for Persebaya United.

And today ahead of the Independence Cup, also held in Surabaya, between PSMS and Persinga Persebaya will play a friendly against Persekap.

So there you have it. I think. Persebaya explained. Or not. Maybe.