Wednesday, October 07, 2015
Sriwijaya Fans Upset At Solo Move
Sriwijaya fans are not happy. After drawing the first leg of their President Cup tie with Arema 1-1 in Malang they were looking forward to having the East Javanese side come to their manor for the second leg.The game was switched as the haze that is swirling round Singapore and Malaysia is also affecting parts of Sumatra, impacting schools health and flights.
While the move makes sense Sriwijaya fans feel the choice of Manahan Stadium in Solo is just too close to Malang and in Indonesia an 11 hour drive is quite close (it was 11 hours last time I did it by mini bus!) and gives Arema an unfair advantage.
The problem then is where to play the game? Bandung has long been a no go zone for Arema fans while people could say if Solo is too close to Malang then so is Semarang, also in Central Java. Surabaya would also be an effective no go zone for Arema fans so perhaps the best option would be Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. That would guarantee a large crowd as Persija fans, starved of football in the capital city, would turn out and support their Arema brothers and even Sriwijaya fans may not baulk at playing the game there.
Football fans in Jakarta have almost forgotten what it is like to see a game as nothing has been played there throughout the year but there have been mumblings the President Cup Final could be played there; of course that may not happen if Persib get through. They lost their semi final 1st leg against Mitra Kukar.
Anyway it looks like Sriwijaya fans will boycott the game in Solo which is a tad ironic. Before Sriwijaya became Sriwijaya they were known as Persijatim Solo! It will be just like old times...
While the move makes sense Sriwijaya fans feel the choice of Manahan Stadium in Solo is just too close to Malang and in Indonesia an 11 hour drive is quite close (it was 11 hours last time I did it by mini bus!) and gives Arema an unfair advantage.
The problem then is where to play the game? Bandung has long been a no go zone for Arema fans while people could say if Solo is too close to Malang then so is Semarang, also in Central Java. Surabaya would also be an effective no go zone for Arema fans so perhaps the best option would be Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. That would guarantee a large crowd as Persija fans, starved of football in the capital city, would turn out and support their Arema brothers and even Sriwijaya fans may not baulk at playing the game there.
Football fans in Jakarta have almost forgotten what it is like to see a game as nothing has been played there throughout the year but there have been mumblings the President Cup Final could be played there; of course that may not happen if Persib get through. They lost their semi final 1st leg against Mitra Kukar.
Anyway it looks like Sriwijaya fans will boycott the game in Solo which is a tad ironic. Before Sriwijaya became Sriwijaya they were known as Persijatim Solo! It will be just like old times...
# posted by Me @ 12:27 PM 
