tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204685412024-03-08T09:29:57.096+07:00Jakarta CasualAn off beat look at Indonesian and South East Asian football from the terraces or the pubMehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.comBlogger7963125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-28128885799101441432022-01-04T16:50:00.003+07:002022-01-04T16:50:31.000+07:00What Makes The AFF Suzuki Cup Special?<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW2lgV1yXVqVM-F5GEtTQrphhKd08B2b5hYi-tlAbHq1g6o9zEXgBiShtX6j60xnvj6br1c308vZSQbn5Dh8RlXSDiGwnrcTOLxJd487AP7-VhXZm0873mvrX4K9gOP_dIbM1hSOvPlaPoaKnmrRfCRLJHj_sCuRuwV0y-hApUqoVJd0RanQ=s4128" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="4128" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW2lgV1yXVqVM-F5GEtTQrphhKd08B2b5hYi-tlAbHq1g6o9zEXgBiShtX6j60xnvj6br1c308vZSQbn5Dh8RlXSDiGwnrcTOLxJd487AP7-VhXZm0873mvrX4K9gOP_dIbM1hSOvPlaPoaKnmrRfCRLJHj_sCuRuwV0y-hApUqoVJd0RanQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div>To paraphrase someone else, South East Asian football is a game of 90 minutes where some vainglorious official will try to grab the headlines for their own reasons and the Thais will win anyway and so it proved at the just finished AFF Suzuki Cup where Thailand triumphed over Indonesia 6-2 on aggregate proving they remain the strongest football nation in the region and, for me, continuing my love affair with the tournament.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm not really interested in international football as a rule. I haven't really bothered with England since the late 1980s and rarely watch World Cup or Euro games but when it comes to the AFF Suzuki Cup I'm there. In fact I'm still gutted I didn't make a single game at the most recent one, the first time since 2007, though I guess some pandemic does offer me an excuse.<br /><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, what is so special about the AFF Suzuki Cup? Well, for a start it means something. Games like Indonesia v Malaysia and Singapore v Malaysia have a meaning that transcends the region. I remember the 2010 Final in KL and looking on in awe at the thousands of Indonesian fans at Bukit Jalil and they weren't all migrant workers or students. Flights out of Jakarta were carrying numbers of supporters and I remember the chill down my spine as I was waiting at the airport seeing other fans waiting patiently for their own flight north, proudly wearing their <i>merah putih</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdG6MGkeJPUWPCd8iLw3M1klB3n21Onur7YNPLHX0JG2p1STEa1SlAbwAdnAtwE8W49MHACqCVN5KZaA9DOA_JMa9Yr8VGxw-ipqucWBLfg-PRWERXuyWiEhrXNaQ9QsIFjuoLRb6v8z8jwg0SBzbQ7Zp40Ko_EDyjut2pH28ynR0owFhyYw=s3008" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3008" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdG6MGkeJPUWPCd8iLw3M1klB3n21Onur7YNPLHX0JG2p1STEa1SlAbwAdnAtwE8W49MHACqCVN5KZaA9DOA_JMa9Yr8VGxw-ipqucWBLfg-PRWERXuyWiEhrXNaQ9QsIFjuoLRb6v8z8jwg0SBzbQ7Zp40Ko_EDyjut2pH28ynR0owFhyYw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then there is the sheer openness of the tournament. Out of the 10 competing nations only Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor Leste go into it knowing they don't stand a chance in hell of even reaching the semi finals leaving six countries believing they can genuinely lift the trophy. That's a pretty high ratio for an international tournament. Look at the AFC Asian Cup for example. Perhaps six teams fancy their chances each competition but most other nations, including those from ASEAN, are just there to make up the numbers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another factor that makes the AFF Suzuki up so special is nothing to do with football. Don't underestimate the change budget airlines have bought to the region. When I first arrived inter regional flights cost a small fortune, way beyond my lowly budget most of the time. Indeed, when Air Asia first came on the scene I remember watching some business expert on BBC World saying they wouldn't work because Asians liked to pay lots of money for things - I remember thinking at the time he'd never been in Foodland in Patpong where crowds of shoppers waved fistfuls of money off vouchers or Pizza Hut over the road where students and office workers alike competed to build the highest salad they could at the buffet counter.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's a cliche but budget air travel really has brought ASEAN closer together. Again, when I arrived in Jakarta from Bangkok there was perhaps seven or eight flights a week between these two capital cities operated by flag carriers. Before Covid, there were five or six a day! And football fans grasped the opportunity with both hands, taking advantage of cheap fares to travel the region watching their nation do battle in the biennial competition and doing so fairly cheaply.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQxarLAzroKI0mBye1Vu9TETGfcZnJ7kFsF8xlM5eHQGxW9Y34rvkyZ5IX9n63E31JTIRsl6wxAPOuOAN7dsMLKXEFVe6Y-W89lXzKBnY5VZtEZ_yC4-MMQy1DNnfVf69i6EL7-8v6uOzHOlGrwcfIBAuXFJGqmUtYl8sIhEutqLdqxSrG9Q=s898" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="898" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQxarLAzroKI0mBye1Vu9TETGfcZnJ7kFsF8xlM5eHQGxW9Y34rvkyZ5IX9n63E31JTIRsl6wxAPOuOAN7dsMLKXEFVe6Y-W89lXzKBnY5VZtEZ_yC4-MMQy1DNnfVf69i6EL7-8v6uOzHOlGrwcfIBAuXFJGqmUtYl8sIhEutqLdqxSrG9Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The rise of the internet has also helped increase awareness of the players involved. What self-respecting football fan in the region doesn't know of Chanathip or Safee Sali or Hasan Sunny?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Some may argue the AFC Asian Cup is more prestigious but is it? The Thais are the strongest team in ASEAN and have been for yonks but they have only got out of the group stage once, in 2019, and before that had failed to qualify in the previous two tournaments. What kind of prestige is that? Should fans be grateful they got to the knock out round before losing? What influential politician or federation official is going to want to be associated with 'honourable defeat'?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">My Indonesian in-laws don't like going to air conditioned shopping malls. They are happy to do their shopping at a local market and get their food from a nearby <i>warung</i> or <i>kaki lima</i>. They don't feel a glitzy shopping mall rammed with shops selling overpriced scents and coiffured hi-so ladies is for them and they are happy in the familiarity of their own world. In a way that is ASEAN football. The AFC Asian Cup is for the likes of Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Korea, Qatar, Iran and Australia, nations with the resources and facilities to aim high. Where's the prestige in being whipping boys for the rich and powerful?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-37700188280004162432021-09-21T21:33:00.000+07:002021-09-21T21:33:11.842+07:00Sorry Stags Sunk By Rampant Sailors<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxwUC02bMDpePcVv9C8piEB0I8Uzon5iNIk9mwPAVbhEHAruu6k88Y9SbemwvkTMLBLSlN0pNgeXfcySSxDqt2Pv50MG_wAJdFZqKQpj1uE74MeqC4kP6OFgwNBx_key7GZI1/s2048/DSC_0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxwUC02bMDpePcVv9C8piEB0I8Uzon5iNIk9mwPAVbhEHAruu6k88Y9SbemwvkTMLBLSlN0pNgeXfcySSxDqt2Pv50MG_wAJdFZqKQpj1uE74MeqC4kP6OFgwNBx_key7GZI1/w337-h223/DSC_0078.JPG" width="337" /></a></div><br />Ok, truth be told I haven't been watching as much South East Asian football over the last few months. In fact ever since I reduced my commute from waking up and going downstairs to work to waking up and walking from one end of my bedroom to the other my eye has totally gone off the tropical football that was so much a part of my life for a decade and a half.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today however with a minimal workload in what passes for my day job I actually found myself on the sofa at the same time as a game from Singapore and with it being a juicy clash between Lion City Sailors and Tampines I had no excuses not to tune in.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">LCS started the day five points and a game in hand on the leaders and reigning champions Albirex Niigata and if they were to stay close to the Japanese backed side in the final few games they needed a good result against the Stags or we could see a foreign team winning the title for the seventh straight season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Stags themselves started the day in fourth place but out of the running for anything beyond a respectable finish - in recent weeks the wheels have well and truly fallen off their season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They collapsed today against LCS in a second half horror show that saw them ship goals almost every time the newly minted Sailors surged forward but the 6-1 reverse is only the latest in a string of heavy losses that must be having the east coast side tearing their hair out. Last week they lost 7-3 against Hougang United, last month they lost 5-2 against Balestier Khalsa. In their 19 league games they have let in a cool 50 goals!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And let's not even look at their AFC Champions League campaign where their six group stage games saw them let in 27 goals and score just one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A season that started with such promise for the Stags isn't in danger of disintegrating. It imploded weeks ago and till now the vastly experienced squad seem unable to stop the hemorrhaging. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We could of course be praising Lion City Sailors for their exhilarating second half performance, with top scorer Stipe Plazibat missing, but with the Stags defence offering up so little resistance questions need to be asked of Tampines, the most successful Singaporean football club of the modern era.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Five times champions, eight times runners up, Tampines were once the nearest thing Singapore had to a glamour club but that mantel has been snatched from them by LCS while Hougang United are now making an impact of their own domestically. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They are guaranteed fourth place but they can still play an important role in the destination of the 2021 Premier League. Next up they face Albirex Niigata and should they win that game Singapore football will offer up a deep sigh of relief but on today's showing you sense Albirex won't be fretting that much.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-10948156920127364482021-06-11T10:21:00.005+07:002021-06-11T10:21:27.904+07:00It's Celebrity Takeover<div>🇮🇩⚽️ Indonesian football has all the characteristics of a soap opera and that's what makes it so difficult to write about. Today's headline will quickly be replaced by tomorrow's sidebar which completely changes the nature of the story.</div><div>In 2019 PSG were based in Gresik.</div><div>In 2020 their licence was bought and the club shifted to Pati and rebranded PSG Pati.</div><div>In 2021 a local celebrity took over the license and later intends to rebranded the club AHHA PS Pati.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is just the latest in a series of clubs being bought or taken over by people famous for being on TV or having large social media followings.</div><div>While anything has to be an improvement on petty provincial potentates who have till now ruled the roost it remains to be seen how string these celebrities commitment is to football.</div><div><br /></div><div>JDT became successful by marrying star names with the unglamorous but important work off the field - will this new breed of owner in Indonesia bring that same desire or are they just after a quick buck and when it fails to materialise lose interest and start plugging their next soap opera?</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-31392152549363058762021-05-29T13:35:00.003+07:002021-05-29T13:48:28.470+07:00RANS Cilegon<p style="text-align: justify;">This here blog is now in its 15th year and in that time there have been some quite seismic changes to the Indonesian football landscape. The years of plenty for example when we had two parallel leagues to the suspension by FIFA are enough to fill a book as well as this here blog but another change has occured that may be less dramatic but in the long term could prove to be way more beneficial to the game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Politics is never far from the back pages and when I started Jakarta Casual nearly every club in the top flight owed its existence to politics and a club's success or failure ultimately depended on how invested local politicians were in football and how much of local taxpayers' money they were willing to splurge on their local team and local state owned enterprises were 'encouraged' to sponsor their local club.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I have written at length previously about the consolidation that has been happening as private money has moved into the game and taken over moribund clubs (Persisam - Bali United, Pelita Jaya - Madura United, Persikubar - Bhayangkara Solo and so on) but we now have a new player on the scene and, if handled correctly, could provide a far bigger football revolution than any narrow minded political adventure.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Bali United have gone out of their way to develop themselves as a football club. They look and feel like a traditional football club with all that entails. Bhayangkara also do a lot of good things. They have a good mix of youth and experience, they play football the right way but they will never be seen as anything other than the club of the police force and will struggle to attract a mainstream fanbase because of that link.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The football traditionalist in me was sad to see Cilegon United all but erased from the landscape. I always enjoyed my trips down the Tangerang - Merak toll road to see the Volcano play at their quirky Krakatau Stadium and they always seemed to boast a decent support. They are no more now though after being bought by an entertainment company. For now they have been rebranded RANS Cilegon but don't be surprised if that changes; their logo, club colours and home base already have!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The whole celebrity thing is massive in Indonesia. People become famous pretty much for being famous, for looking sad on sickly soap operas or singing soppy love songs to screaming fans. And they have alot of fans. Barcelona for example have almost 97 million followers worldwide on Instagram. Raffi Ahmad and Nagita Slavina, the RANS behind the new look Cilegon club, have nearly 53 million followers on Instagram - and most of them will be in Indonesia alone!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcK6GwhhvaqajO3sFo_J9EZA7PQW1y8K7aEaSZUjdHPKvaeJA0OxKbzsnltcfo6d6sLHUGVE3OpRSp-_o7klJsCUXmKLlg1X4gAmVy6Qvpdi3YKrQwawZK4rjM-GpbS_g8pUR/s1600/e3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcK6GwhhvaqajO3sFo_J9EZA7PQW1y8K7aEaSZUjdHPKvaeJA0OxKbzsnltcfo6d6sLHUGVE3OpRSp-_o7klJsCUXmKLlg1X4gAmVy6Qvpdi3YKrQwawZK4rjM-GpbS_g8pUR/s320/e3.JPG" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PBxNvN68-mZ6hVs-ONSG52FH4MN-8U68hBou7UGACdufPSOWEl63Evh8xz8uta2CthVJvLuR2Iqcgv8Mg-3QtjBSjLOsy0Aodht3K3AJJ8nrFwGTN2glRriispxZQltJPLS4/s1600/e5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PBxNvN68-mZ6hVs-ONSG52FH4MN-8U68hBou7UGACdufPSOWEl63Evh8xz8uta2CthVJvLuR2Iqcgv8Mg-3QtjBSjLOsy0Aodht3K3AJJ8nrFwGTN2glRriispxZQltJPLS4/s320/e5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The new owners have brought in the experienced Bambang Nurdiansyah to coach their team of 'galacticos' with former international M Nasuha, pictured above scoring for Cilegon United, as his assistant. On the pitch they have signed Cristian Gonzales, Hamka Hamzah, Patrich Wanggai and Asri Akbar as well as brought Tarik El Janaby and Syamsir Alam back in the game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For now they are making all the right noises but will anyone want to go and see them? Will they be able to convert their massive following into football supporters? It is one thing for teenagers to goofily wave their arms in the air to tear-jerking ballads in an air-conditioned TV studio but are they likely to make the move from a comfy sofa to a humid terrace? And does is it even matter? RANS Cilegon have announced a pre-season friendly against Arema early in January and fans will be able to watch the game live on YouTube for rp20,000!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Does a club like RANS Cilegon even need match going fans? Given their large following across the country the club could probably play each home game in a different stadium across the country and still draw a decent crowd.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is no denying entertainment groups such as RANS can bring a lot to football, hopefully dragging the game into the late 20th century, but hopefully they remember that football is not a TV show, football's soul, and especially Indonesian football's soul, is found on the terraces across the country and where ever RANS Cilegon make their home home they set about building and developing a fanbase and, just as importantly, sticking by their supporters</p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-52225292688259523702021-03-20T15:39:00.001+07:002021-03-20T15:39:16.065+07:00Piala Menpora 2021 Fixtures<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrIMMT_yd6OsrgYLadiIakz5ckDlhhTi1QvkJ3PHgG2Xx5jBpcMHGcGyvfEmbgwVpZK6HedBOQ02sBfbQYIZqkt_tgu4NFzCLK14TghYJpnICqNSlZsQXm3nk2uA8ftqZ5Xp0/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrIMMT_yd6OsrgYLadiIakz5ckDlhhTi1QvkJ3PHgG2Xx5jBpcMHGcGyvfEmbgwVpZK6HedBOQ02sBfbQYIZqkt_tgu4NFzCLK14TghYJpnICqNSlZsQXm3nk2uA8ftqZ5Xp0/" width="320" /></a></div><br />After an absent of 12 months Indonesian football returns tomorrow with the pre-season Piala Menpora. <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There have been that many competitions like this over the years I won't bore you with them all, suffice to say the last time one was held under this name was 2013 when eight teams entered including Central Coast Mariners, Loyola Meralco Sparks (Philippines) and Malaysia U23. Hosts Arema won beating CCM in the final thanks to two penalties from Keith Kayamba Gumbs and they kick off the tournament this year against Persikabo 1973 at the newly renovated Manahan Stadium.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The draw was 'fixed' so the Big 4 of Arema, Persebaya, Persib and Persija were kept apart just in case any rival fans saw an excuse for having a pre-season, non socially distanced tear-up for old times sake. All games are to be played behind closed doors but that hasn't been a problem in the past!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One notable absence from the draw is Persipura. They took offence to something from the organisers so withdrew apparently! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Not sure if the games will be streamed for overseas or not. Keep an eye on my Twitter account for updates!</p><p><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></strong></p><p><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">21 March (Manahan Stadium, Solo)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Arema FC v Persikabo 1973 </li><li>PSIS Semarang v Barito Putera </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>22 March (Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Bhayangkara Solo v Borneo Samarinda </li><li>Persija Jakarta v PSM Makassar</li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>23 March (Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Soreang)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Madura United v PSS Sleman </li><li>Persebaya Surabaya v Persik Kediri </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>24 March (Maguwoharjo Stadium, Sleman)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Persiraja Banda Aceh v Persita Tangerang </li><li>Persib Bandung v Bali United </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>25 March (Manahan Stadium, Solo)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Persikabo 1973 v PSIS Semarang </li><li>Barito Putera Vs Arema </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>27 March (Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>PSM Makassar v Bhayangkara Solo </li><li>Borneo Samarinda v Persija Jakarta</li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>28 March (Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Soreang)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>PSS Sleman v Persela Lamongan </li><li>Madura United v Persebaya Surabaya </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>29 March (Maguwoharjo Stadium, Sleman)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Bali United v Persiraja Banda Aceh</li><li>Persita Tangerang Vs Persib Bandung </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>30 March (Manahan Stadium, Solo)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Barito Putera v Persikabo 1973 </li><li>Arema v PSIS Semarang </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>31 March (Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Borneo Samarinda v PSM Makassar </li><li>Persija Jakarta v Bhayangkara Solo </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>1 April (Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Soreang)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Persik Kediri v PSS Sleman </li><li>Persela Lamongan v Madura United </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>2 April (Maguwoharjo Stadium, Sleman)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Persita Tangerang v Bali United </li><li>Persib Bandung v Persiraja Banda Aceh </li></ul><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>3 April </strong><strong>(Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Soreang)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Persik Kediri v Madura United </li><li>Persebaya Surabaya v Persela Lamongan </li></ul><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2em; margin: 10px 0px 20px;"><strong>7 April </strong><strong>(Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Soreang)</strong></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -20px 0px 20px; padding: 25px 0px 0px 20px;"><li>Persela Lamongan v Persik Kediri </li><li>PSS Sleman v Persebaya Surabaya </li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-32742892789999290822021-03-18T03:11:00.002+07:002021-03-18T03:11:33.365+07:00Kapan Persis Bangkit?<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HTYj8gGOzmKcLZRz4gMqeFwAdlGa0gOfRSHiPqWxKukYPQC7V6bKS9ynNlONfUnl38p1Z9sK31Vp9BYXt7W7iAJfadjt-g1iBCGDLWPMd7eKq5z5jOAhyphenhyphennHqtBnNG6OZjVEW/s2048/DSC_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HTYj8gGOzmKcLZRz4gMqeFwAdlGa0gOfRSHiPqWxKukYPQC7V6bKS9ynNlONfUnl38p1Z9sK31Vp9BYXt7W7iAJfadjt-g1iBCGDLWPMd7eKq5z5jOAhyphenhyphennHqtBnNG6OZjVEW/s320/DSC_0083.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It must be so frustrating being a Persis fan. On the one hand they have been starved of success as decades of mismanagement has see the team firmly ensconced in the nether regions of the football pyramid while their city plays hosts to full internationals as well as nomadic clubs who find the facilities of this central Java city to be perfect for a professional football club.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The news that Bhayangkara, 2017 Liga 1 champions, will be calling the Manahan Stadium home and tweaking their name (Bhayangkara Solo) to show their attachment to their new host won't have surprised the football daft for they are just the latest in a long line to try and call Solo. Arseto, Persijatim, Solo Ksatria and Pelita Jaya are just two of the teams to have flirted with the Solo faithful before moving to pastures new or just simply folding. And, lest we forget, the Pasoepati originally identified themselves with Pelita Jaya.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So when a leading official from the Pasoepati came out and with due solemnity it was fine for members to support the new kid on the block I just shrugged my shoulders. I've long since given up trying to filter Indonesian football through an English filter; it's a waste of time but at the same time I do miss out on some of the WTF moments that takes the game to such dizzying heights! So yeah, fan group says it's ok to support another club. OK. I mean this is Indonesia where two team cities are pretty rare and where they do exist, Tangerang for example, the rivalry can be deadly but I just assumed people had been talking behind the scenes and come to an arrangement so the new club would not have the embarrassment of playing in front of empty terraces.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The thing is Persis have been in the news a bit recently with suggestions a relative of the nation's president being linked with buying the club. Were this to happen it could certainly propel the famous old club to a totally different level. But if it were to happen where would it leave Bhayangkara Solo who have of course their own influential backers?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Persis are one of the oldest clubs in the country but the last few years have seen them overtaken on the national stage by younger upstarts like Arema and PSS and more recently of course Bhayangkara. For me, as a football traditionalist, seeing Persis back in the top flight, well funded and of course well supported would be a thing of beauty and would add shine to Liga 1. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But given how often Solo has laid out the welcome mat for other clubs it would be nice, for once, for the city to take pride in its own club and focus on revitalising a wonderful old football club.</p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-13605089114298453392021-03-16T15:35:00.001+07:002021-03-16T15:35:25.038+07:00Impatient Sri Pahang Shunt Dooley To One Side<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoGQIirNnvXLKxSlizGlf9E3le5Eg-cgqvMOmQBSSZNbz2BV8bZs8UVaiQf34fJP1-HCwavkqUlQnsmTaiMY5BS1ZgBSz60LeE43NBl4X23gt0e614G5_JXV-9nDbX0VVJJ48/s302/Thomas+Dooley++Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoGQIirNnvXLKxSlizGlf9E3le5Eg-cgqvMOmQBSSZNbz2BV8bZs8UVaiQf34fJP1-HCwavkqUlQnsmTaiMY5BS1ZgBSz60LeE43NBl4X23gt0e614G5_JXV-9nDbX0VVJJ48/s0/Thomas+Dooley++Crop.jpg" /></a></div><br />A new era is supposed to be dawning on Malaysian football, an era of professionalism from top to the bottom of the structure. No more state run associations packed with jobsworth mates of provincial petty potentates but football clubs run by people with know-how and expertise.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">God knows, Malaysian football needs it. Johor Darul Ta'zim have long outgrown the league while at the same tie being the benchmark for other clubs to aim for but too often the rest of the league seems to just throw their arms in the air and say 'we can't compete'. Is the 2021 season when the rest of the league says 'we're gonna give it a go'?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Maybe. Or in the case of Pahang on the east coast of the peninsula maybe not. The Tok Gajah have come closer than anyone to upsetting the JDT behemoth but have always come up short. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Malaysia Super League Runners Up - 2017, 2019</p><p style="text-align: center;">Malaysia Cup Winner - 2013, 2014</p><p style="text-align: center;">FA Cup Winner - 2014, 2018 (Runners Up 2017)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Aiming to improve on a disappointing 2020 season when they finished 8th, Pahang changed their name to Sri Pahang and appointed American Thomas Dooley as coach. Dooley, who I first came across when he played for 1FC Kaiserslautern in 1992/93, is no stranger to the region having coached the Philippines national team (2014-2018) and no doubt expectations were high on the east coast he had a squad ready to challenge for honours.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One player added to the squad was Lee Tuck who was so influential with Terengganu in the 2020 season as they finished third and get to compete in the AFC Cup this season.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately the season has started as well as the management were hoping. They lost their opening game 3-1 away to Selangor and things didn't improve in their first home game, losing 2-0 against Kedah and that's when the mumbling started. The club are saying nothing, their <a href="https://pahangfa.com.my/" target="_blank">official website</a> is worse than useless, but on Saturday Dooley wasn't in the dug out. Instead it was veteran Dollah Salleh and it has been hinted he would remain in charge for the next couple of games as well.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dooley himself hasn't said much beyond expressing disappointment at the decision to 'rest' him. Speaking to the <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2021/03/15/pahangs-dooley-sidelined-dollah-back-in-charge">Star</a> he said <span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato, Arial, Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I cannot divulge much information. I totally disagree about this situation but I need to respect it. I have a different view compared to others. Right now, I can’t be involved with the team''.</i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today Sri Pahang host Sabah, another winless side, and club management will be hoping Dollah, who has coached the team on two previous </span>occasions<span style="font-family: inherit;">, will be able to inspire an immediate return to form in Kuantan.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">But for Sri Pahang to challenge consistently the old thinking needs to be ditched. Kuantan wasn't built in a day and a football team isn't built after two games. If the coach was good enough to be appointed then surely he is good enough to be given time? Pressing the panic button after two games and saying nothing officially are not the hallmarks of a professional football club.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-78019993620770037832021-02-19T15:27:00.002+07:002021-02-19T15:31:10.430+07:00Langkawi City<p style="text-align: justify;">There is something so tempting about the third tier of Malaysian football. Now known as M3 League it offers up a mixture of private companies and private companies which, in the main, have little in the way of footballing history. Whereas Indonesia's Liga 3 can boast teams with pedigree like Persikabpas and Persikab, Malaysia offers up the mighty Syarikat Air Melaka Berhad (SAMB) or Ultimate. Clubs with little or no past struggling to survive beyond a season or two.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFEOL9PN7pzTqD1aM7q_EYdIz_7T82cQxef2d_7J92ysYkysgbj7yiU6iRyxIMvjIWtBL7smeg-pR7lN-_0IdkQLxZOsy5CEo6kaOZDqda4lfUMrgrlApGXh8G4lgspCDPIDz/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFEOL9PN7pzTqD1aM7q_EYdIz_7T82cQxef2d_7J92ysYkysgbj7yiU6iRyxIMvjIWtBL7smeg-pR7lN-_0IdkQLxZOsy5CEo6kaOZDqda4lfUMrgrlApGXh8G4lgspCDPIDz/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Then we have Langkawi City and who would not want to go to an away game there! Langkawi is an archipelago located in the north west of the country and, since I guess buying the licence of KL based Glory FC has been home to a ambitious football club. Well, I don't know if they are ambitious but they do have a famous name in the coaching hot-seat - former Kedah legend Nelson San Martin.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">All this is fine. Tickety-boo. My gripe though lies in the name. Why opt for the Anglicized suffix of City especially when there is no such city as Langkawi? Why slavishly follow in the footsteps of an English tradition dating back to the 19th century?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Club names are important. They are part of a identity fans can identify with and in most countries they relate to local circumstances because that is what a football club is - part of a local community. In Germany we have the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen. England as Aston Villa, Burton Albion, Bristol Rovers. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But why do South East Asia teams feel the need to adopt such suffixes? We have seen it in Thailand with the likes of Muang Thong United and Buriram United and in Malaysia with Petaling Jaya City and now Langkawi City. Surely the Philippines plunged new depths with United City Football Club! How can a football club truly represent its local community when half of its name has been imported in a vain bid to appeal to local who prefer English giants to their own local team? And let's face, many 'fans' of a City or United are basically glory hunters who attach themselves to a team that is successful. Are they really the future hardcore support a club can relay on?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As ever, when it comes to South East Asian football it is Indonesia which leads the way. Arema, Barito Putera, Bhayangkara, Badak Lampung, Borneo, Deltras, Sriwijaya all have names with links to their local community (or roots) and they are rightly proud of those links. It's not perfect - look at Madura United and Bali United - but it is surely the right way to go.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I wish Langkawi's football club well. I just feel that adopting a name that better reflects its own origins and area is a better way to go, in their case Pulau Langkawi?</p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-86067164572983406842021-01-30T15:02:00.005+07:002021-01-30T15:02:59.759+07:00My Thai Football Journey<p> <span style="text-align: justify;">I grew up an Arsenal fan. In fact
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t an Arsenal fan, except for a few hours in
the 1970s when we let slip a two goal lead against Derby County and I loudly
told my mates who I was having a kick around with in the local park, the
nearest we had to social media at the time, that I was so disgusted I wanted them
to know I now supported Sunderland.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I started going to home games in
the early 70s then, as I got a paper round and then a job in the local record
shop, ventured further afield following the Arsenal. And when I went to
Australia I 1987 I was convinced I’d be gone for 12 months and would return to
my spot on the Clock End terrace.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It didn’t happen that way of
course and in the early 90s I fronted up in Thailand hoping to broaden my mind
as an English teacher. Between Australia and Thailand I’d been in Germany
watching the likes of 1FC Koln, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munchen when I
could. I wouldn’t say I was a football snob, I was also happy going to see
non-league games in England or National Soccer League games in Australia, but I
didn’t really take much notice of football in my new home.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was dimly aware the national
team were playing in the Asian Games and saw enough to be impressed by the
likes of Tawan and Kiatisuk and occasionally I would have a look round the Thai
Farmers Bank store in Siam Square thinking I would like to get a souvenir and
catch a game but every time I read the in depth football columns in the Bangkok
Post, and they were superbly written, while sat in the teacher’s room on
Saturdays I could never see the attraction of leaving a bar for long enough to
traipse across Bangkok to see SET v PAT, BBC v RTAF or TTM v KTB.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So instead I joined the library
at the British Council and in those dark days between my money running out and
pay day I would sit in my dimly lit room off Rama 4 and read about people like
Chidchobs, Kuenplums and Sila’parchas. Little did I know but this background
reading became essential to understanding local football.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When I saw the name Chonburi
popping up in the Post on Saturdays I immediately thought of the Kuenpluem
family, one of whom I used to teach TOEFL primarily because nobody else fancied
7am starts. The second thing that struck me hell, was Thai football moving
beyond a bunch of SOEs and government departments based in Bangkok before
returning to more important matters like Bobby’s Arms, Cosmos, My Other Office,
Country Road and Thermae. The 90s were something that happened to other people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I started Jakarta Casual in 2006,
primarily as a way to keep me on the straight and narrow after getting married
but it soon snowballed and within a few years I was covering Indonesian,
Malaysian and Singaporean football. It was only a matter of time before I added
Thai football to the blog. With teams like Muang Thong United, Bangkok Glass
and Chonburi it was beginning to resemble a proper league and thanks to the
message board there were other loonies just as football daft as I was and just
as interested in the local burgeoning scene.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, 2009 and the holidays. ‘I’m
going to Bangkok for a few days to see some football,’ I told my wife. Yeah,
right I could see her thinking. Bangkok, football, that’s a new one!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I holed up in my old manor and
took a taxi out to Ekkamai before boarding a bus to Sri Racha where I was going
to meet Dale. The plan was I wanted to experience a Thai style awayday so we
met up, had a few beer before joining a supporters club bus to take us…into
Bangkok. In fact, to a ground a mile and a half away from where I was staying!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The ride from Sri Racha to Klong
Toey took about 10 minutes as me and Dale discussed Thai football, English
football and punk rock. I’d only see Oldham play a handful of times but it
turned out Dale was at each of the games I went to including a Friday night game
at Brighton and my last ever game at Highbury, a League Cup tie in 1994. We
also had both seen a game between Thailand v South Korea in 1997, we both
popped out Thai football cherry that night.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As awaydays went it was pretty
lame, especially if I were to compare with similar trips I’d made in Indonesia but
2009 was the year Thailand discovered football so there was little in the way
of history or rivalry to hang your hat on.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But it was a fun day out.
Chonburi won 2-1 and I bought a Thai Port in the club shop and even got to chat
with Kosin, the Chonburi keeper who had spent a period of time on loan with
Persib in Indonesia. I asked him what he thought of Persija and he spat on the
floor. Brilliant thinks I, the Persib fans will love this when I post it on You
Tube. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten to press record on the handycam!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After the game I took the 47 bus
back to my hotel. The next day I went to see Chula United v Pattaya United and,
um, to be honest it was crap. A few drunken foreigners had turned their backs
on their favourite beer bar for a trip to the Big Durian but they produced
little in the way of atmosphere, they were too busy either trying to not spill
their beer or snoring.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmowioRuem5nF9c1qO8pb9VsGh_w-R7Knf95Su9wN9QTFPXCwGibOGJ54kFb5tWRA6GS8vptEuEbi7aodz1GaON1tdjE2QF1HmBqIKjet5gJpqu6MyGX4oWWWXAbpc_ZLQ0xz9/s2048/DSC_0212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmowioRuem5nF9c1qO8pb9VsGh_w-R7Knf95Su9wN9QTFPXCwGibOGJ54kFb5tWRA6GS8vptEuEbi7aodz1GaON1tdjE2QF1HmBqIKjet5gJpqu6MyGX4oWWWXAbpc_ZLQ0xz9/s320/DSC_0212.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was interested enough though by
the first game to return later in the year when Muang Thong United hosted
Chonburi. A large crowd was expected so me and Dale and his missus entered the
ground some four hours before kick off and tried to make ourselves comfy on the
stone steps. Good atmosphere, good game, I was tempted enough to return a
number of time over the following years to catch games but for me the novelty
soon wore off and looking back I can see a few reasons why my interest waned.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">First, the Chidchobs got
involved. While the Kuenpluems didn’t seem interested in throwing money at the
game, Chidchobs were people who didn’t lose be it politically or elsewhere.
Then the Sila’parchas got involved in Suphanburi, or as I used to call in in
the 90s Banharnburi, and football was rapidly becoming a playground for <i>phu
yai</i> and their egos. I couldn’t see how the domestic league could develop
with only one team winning the league every year, who was going to support a
provincial club with no history and no hope of winning the title? The early
boom years weren’t sustained and attendances soon levelled off as Thais
discovered a new ‘latest craze.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I would still book trips to
Thailand but increasingly I wasn’t even bothering with the games. I went to see
Bangkok United and Army United and wondered why I was bothering spending all
that time and money. Yes, I know people like to say the Thai league is the best
in the region but I’m not even sure what that means. Undoubtedly they have some
of the best players and some of the best role models and their marketing used
to be second to none but the quality was spread very thinly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Thai football is obviously in a
much better place than it was when I first read those superbly written Bangkok
Post articles a quarter of a century earlier and one of the reasons for that is
the early success of Chonburi in pushing the game beyond government departments
and reaching out to local communities. Part of me still thinks it would be fun
to go back and zigzag across the country catching games in distant provincial
towns and cities, riding local non air conditioned buses, waiting in dusty
markets for them to fill up, sitting next to old buggers stinking of Sangthip
as they gently caress their crowing cock. As a footballing experience the Thai
game is a long way behind its Indonesian brethren but as an appendage to an all
encompassing Thai experience it can’t be beaten!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>SOURCE</b> - This first appeared on Dale's <a href="https://itsahabitthatsticks.blogspot.com/2020/11/new-my-thai-football-journey-by-antony.html" target="_blank">It's A Habit That Sticks</a> blog</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-74375271471863878022021-01-28T15:20:00.001+07:002021-01-28T15:20:10.923+07:00AFC Cup 2021 Preview<p style="text-align: justify;">In these dreadful times it is heartening that at least a pretense of a normal life is going on in football. I speak of course of the draws made yesterday for the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup. It seems mad that just 12 months ago I was able to book flights to the best region in the world and go to Jalan Besar Stadium to catch AFC Cup ties when now I'm being discouraged from catching a train to Nottingham, just a 30 minute ride away!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">How little we knew then, how naive we were as I took in ties between Tampies Rovers and Bali United followed by Hougang United v Ho Chi Minh City. Two top games!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnBYN_yvubd4H2FU_fI_2pHuTphd-0k2rfV-wSYEj61E6qauVaFGXoV8mclcvSt5tPBbAW93OyxvOXtZfD4vbzWcHiosrIb8LQRNyjFEwclILJL2nibml5F05M8aEy3gdNuXX/s2048/20200225_202916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnBYN_yvubd4H2FU_fI_2pHuTphd-0k2rfV-wSYEj61E6qauVaFGXoV8mclcvSt5tPBbAW93OyxvOXtZfD4vbzWcHiosrIb8LQRNyjFEwclILJL2nibml5F05M8aEy3gdNuXX/s320/20200225_202916.jpg" /></a></div>The competition of course would be cancelled because of the pandemic while the Champions League would be held later in the year in Qatar. Undoubtedly, the Champions League is the AFC's diamond, the competition that brings together the best teams in Asia to do battle for the ultimate trophy but for me it lacks the eclectic appeal of the AFC Cup. I can't get too excited at the prospect of watching Al Nasr v Al Ittihad for example but the prospect of seeing Boueng Ket v Geylang International has me salivating over Skyscanner.com and dusting off my passport!<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The AFC Cup is due to start in April, and fingers crossed it does, so as being a football fan is all about dreams, let us dream!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There are a number of play offs to be negotiated before the group stage starts and what better way to begin a competition than with two ties like these in the South Asia section:</p><p style="text-align: center;">Nepal Army Club v Sri Lanka Police</p><p style="text-align: center;">Eagles (Maldives) v Thimpu City</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The winner of the first tie gets to meet Bengaluru while Abhani Limited Dhaka await the winner of the second tie and how cool is it that Bangladesh could have a couple of teams in the AFC Cup?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Moving to ASEAN and a few weeks later their play offs begin with a couple of times:</p><p style="text-align: center;">Lao Toyota v Kasuka (Brunei)</p><p style="text-align: center;">Visakha v Lalenok United (Timor Leste)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Some new names there including Cambodia's Visakha who have an Irishman, Colum Curtis, on their coaching staff and boast a Canadian international, Marcus Haber, in their ranks. Haber has previously lined up for St Johnstone, Stevenage, Notts County, Crewe, Dundee and Falkirk as well as numerous Canadian teams and is still only 32! It's mad, innit? Here we are in the middle of a pandemic yet this lad is happy to uproot himself from Canada to Cambodia to kick a ball around!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The winners of those ties face tricky opposition in the next round with Visakha potentially facing Persipura in May. Lao Toyota or Kasuka will face Hanthawady United.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The group stage, no dates have been set yet, will look something like this:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Group D</b> - Mohun Bagan, Bashundhara Kings, Maziya, South Asian Play Off Winner</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Group G</b> - Hanoi, Bali United, Boueng Ket, Winner of ASEAN Play Off Lao Toyota/Kasuka/Hanthawady United</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Group H</b> - Kedah, Lion City Sailors, Saigon, Winner of ASEAN Play Off Visakha/Lalenok United/Persipura</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Group I</b> - Kaya Iloilo, Shan United, Terengganu, Geylang International</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Wow! Boueng Ket v Bali United, that would be the first game on the list while I would be severely tempted by Basundhara Kings v Mohun Bagan as well!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm not going to go down the tired, cliched route of a group of death, last time I checked each group will have two teams knocked out, but there are some intriguing match ups to be had. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Singapore's Lion City Sailors will be emulating the incredibly daftly named United City in competing in Asian club competition in only their second season and they will come up against a Kedah side which will have a familiar name in the dug out...Aidil Sharin was part of the successful Home United side coached by Steve Darby in the early years of the 20th century and moved to Malaysia at the end of 2018 which means by my calculations he has survived two seasons at the same club which ain't bad, is it? Helping the team win the Malaysia Cup in 2019 would have helped of course!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In Group I Terengganu have invested smartly during the preseason, taking advantage of the stasis in Indonesia to hoover up Makan Konate and David da Silva as well as bringing in Australian Chris Herd who boasts Aston Villa on his resume as well as teams in Thailand, India and Bangladesh in recent years.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After finishing third in the Super League last season, Terenggau set about trying to improve on that talented squad and that included not renewing the foreign players. Their ambition is to be rewarded. They are never going to be able to compete domestically with Johor Darul Ta'zim but that hasnt stopped the club backing its coaching staff to have an impact elsewhere and it will be interesting to see how the Turtles get on both domestically and internationally.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yep, for me the AFC Cup is the place to be. Here's looking forward to a thrilling competition!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-10234907064169932072021-01-22T15:16:00.004+07:002021-01-22T15:16:44.162+07:00Young Indonesians<p style="text-align: justify;">While much has been made of the exodus of top players from Indonesia over recent weeks owing to the uncertainty of the status of the 2020 season, now cancelled, we should remember there are still a few young players trying their luck overseas even during the pandemic. It has long been a bugbear of ine. Undoubtedly one of the reasons why Thai football has become so preeminent in the region over the last 25 years or so is down to the willingness of the likes of Kiatisuk Senamuang, Therdsak Chaiman and Tawan Sripan to remove themselves from their comfort zone and embrace new cultures.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Indonesian footballers have also done this but all too often they have swapped the <i>nasi goreng</i> of Indonesia for the <i>nasi goreng</i> of Malaysia, hardly the most challenging of culture shocks. No, for a player to be really challenged as a person they need to leave their <i>kampung </i>far behind and embrace a totally alien way of life. That's easier said than done.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The news the that Asnawi Mangkualam has signed for second tier Korean side Asnan Greeners has to be good news for Indonesian football. The versatile 21 year old was born in Makassar and previously played for Persiba, where he made his debut as a 16 year old, and more recently PSM and has featured in the various national teams since then.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Undoubtedly Shin Tae-yong, the national team coach, has been influential in the switch but we can at least be assured this move will be more for football reasons than anything else. We have seen on numerous occasions in recent years where players have signed for clubs overseas on the say so of club owners looking to burnish their reputations domestically rather than genuinely develop promising footballers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The news that Asnawi has put the icing on a couple of profitable days for young Indonesians trying their luck overseas. In Poland, Eky Maulana scored for Lechia Gdansk in a friendly while further south Witan Sulaeman scored his first goal for Croatian side FK Radnik Surdulica, also in a friendly.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">No one is expecting this talented trio will go on to take their new leagues by storm but there can be little doubt they will grow as people and footballers from their adventures. And hopefully they can act as pioneers, mentors, to other young players who are unsure whether they should try their luck overseas or have a domestic career where they are shunted around the country from club to club at the whim of rapacious club owners.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-72030698760061590022021-01-21T00:55:00.000+07:002021-01-21T00:55:01.198+07:00Lion City Sailors Think Big With Lopes Signing<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0j5t_Sf8tpk28_-xWdTLZuzYdux1nilC8vr6zNH0lWLI7CanFlOXWojW5zFbMNbLTpfUSa4ekjZGiUNhadDMO5_0qAb_bz7keHkXKB4JHMDjdrARrjMWBjRf9D2Yy28C1U8Z0/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="860" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0j5t_Sf8tpk28_-xWdTLZuzYdux1nilC8vr6zNH0lWLI7CanFlOXWojW5zFbMNbLTpfUSa4ekjZGiUNhadDMO5_0qAb_bz7keHkXKB4JHMDjdrARrjMWBjRf9D2Yy28C1U8Z0/" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Talk about the road less travelled. A Singapore football club have spent real money to sign a player. With the new season just weeks away, possibly, Lion City Sailors have splashed out almost $3 million on Diego Lopes from Portuguese side Rio Ave. The 26 year old is Brazilian and wears the number 10 shirt and let's be honest, that has been enough for clubs in the region to swoop.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But this feels different. Singaporean clubs tend not to pay transfer fees and players at the peak of their career tend not to mark down the city state for the next step in their football career. But here we are. Lion City Sailors are privately owned, have deep pockets and have big ambitions. They signed the prolific Stipe Plazibat halfway through last season from Hougang United and with Adam Swandi and Gabriel Quak also in the team there is an aura of a tropical '<i>Galacticos</i>' in sunny Bishan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Singapore football has been crying out for investment for years now so to moan about this would be to take churlish to levels not even Jose Mourinho dares visit. The league has been moribund for so many years now that when Albirex Niigata won the title last season, for the fourth time in five years there was little outcry. Angst had been replaced by shrugged shoulders and, even worse, apathy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Can we expect to see Lion City Sailors go down the road of Johor Darul Ta'zim across the Causeway and blow everyone else out of the water? I hope not. Small leagues dominated by a single club or two clubs, be it Scotland or Malaysia, tend not to be strong leagues and Singapore football would be the better were we to see Tampines return to their own glory days doing battle with the likes of LCS and Albirex. Hopefully, other clubs can attach themselves to LCS's coat tails and enjoy the ride rather than be content to be cannon fodder. Certainly, in Malaysia JDT are literally in a league of their own but even their staunchest fans would admit the league would be stronger were other clubs blazing their own trails?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">LCS and Tampines Rovers did push Albirex all the way last season but the Japanese backed side were too strong and too experienced. Hopefully a year older and a year wiser a local side can wrest the title home for the first time since 2014 but to expect Lopes to win it by himself would be to put too much pressure on his shoulders and to under estimate the challenges that lie ahead and not just on the pitch. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Any title bid will be hamstrung from day one as both the Stags and the Sailors will also be expected to face the rigours of AFC Cup competition, and while they will be jetting around the region collecting airmiles history shows they won't be getting much sympathy from Jalan Besar.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lopes will soon notice the Singapore football scene is a lot more 'genteel' compared to what he has been used to in Portugal and Brazil but beneath the <i>bon homie</i> of chilled Tiger Beer and <i>roti pratha</i> the <i>satay</i> sticks will be being sharpened and when he doesn't produce immediate results they will soon find their mark. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For me, I hope Lopes is given time to settle and make an impact just like I hope to see Tampines Rovers challenge for the title and for Hougang United and Geylang International to kick on. Anything that gets people talking about Singapore football and raises its profile has to be a good thing, right? </div><p></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-27961624479325646232021-01-20T15:49:00.000+07:002021-01-20T15:49:07.521+07:00Ambitious Rudy Brings Parisian Flair To Provincial Pati<p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Over five years ago I was based in the Middle East and one weekend I decided to head to Bahrain for a beer, a passport stamp and, of course come football. It helped there was a young Indonesian coach who was working there at the time so I reached out to Rudy Eka Priyambada on line and we arranged to meet at the Sherlock Holmes, a popular watering hole on the island. Rudy's story fascinated me and many others and his journey into coaching can be found <a href="https://jakartacasual.blogspot.com/2015/10/coach-eka-takes-long-road-to-top.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've followed his career off and on over the subsequent years and have been intrigued as he develops a little known piece of real estate in the shadow of Mount Muria into a footballing hotbed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With the help of local business people, Rudy developed his own <a href="http://safinpatifa.com/" target="_blank">academy</a>, a popular go-to option for football people in Indonesia where the industry is notorious for its short career span. While I understood the logic behind this decision I always hoped Rudy's determination and experiences would not be lost to the professional game so I was delighted to hear Pati took over the license of Liga 2 side Putra Sinar Giri, formerly based in Gresik, East Java.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSvCI1kh4gdedwthlRB3H5vVH8f7Ch3ZfN_8-0FnbSWkgmtKVS9Wf0kY2St-5WSLmkqoZOnOMWpTk0SCAfyD6Ts1TX4b4cNnBvarYRmcC546iGdsnyqL11FSc9GAdJn0rpv75/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="248" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSvCI1kh4gdedwthlRB3H5vVH8f7Ch3ZfN_8-0FnbSWkgmtKVS9Wf0kY2St-5WSLmkqoZOnOMWpTk0SCAfyD6Ts1TX4b4cNnBvarYRmcC546iGdsnyqL11FSc9GAdJn0rpv75/" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The new owners have moved quickly to rebrand PSG as Putra Safin Group Pati (PSG Pati) partly to recognise one of the driving forces behind the develop of football in Pati but also of course to tap into the local football community. The Parisian PSG influence though is evident through a similar colour scheme in the branding but any attempts to winning over local fans will face other challenges beyond aping a well known foreign club.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For starters there is already a Pati based local side. Persipa have a history going back 70 years which makes them quite old by Indonesian standards and a fan group known as Patifosi. Will Persipa survive the arrival of a new, better funded club? Will Patifosi switch allegiance?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Indonesian fan groups know from experience how transient football clubs can be. Pasoepati, in the football daft city of Solo, started life following Arseto and were quick to embrace the short lived Solo Ksatria in the rebel LPI in 2011. Many elder Jakmania broke their terrace cherry cheering Pelita Jaya. For so long it is the supporters who have been the forgotten people as clubs over the years happily swap cities at the drop of a hat so you cannot blame them for tie their affections to a shiny new club that looks and smells like a football club rather than follow a club that may or may not even compete in the league, depending on the whims or ambitions of local leaders. How many Bali United fans, for example, followed Persigi or how many Madura United supporters went to Perseba games on a regular basis?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I wrote in <a href="https://jakartacasual.blogspot.com/2019/03/perseru-just-latest-much-needed.html" target="_blank">2019</a>, Indonesian football has long needed a period of consolidation where older, more established football clubs which have long been poorly run are replaced by newer, more ambitious folks ready to embrace ideas from the 1990 like club shops and sponsors. Will PSG Pati be the latest to join the list of ambitious, privately owned clubs?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In some respects PSG Pati will be going down the trail blazed by the mega rich Johor Darul Ta'zim with their investment in youth and infrastructure. It's too early to well whether the club will be looking to snap up expensive players like JDT but with a smart football 'ecosystem' being put in place by Rudy and his team perhaps they won't need to. They have all the facilities to entice promising young players to head for Central Java and offer them a clearly laid out career path under the guiding hand of a man who is happy to place his trust in youth.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With other leagues already into their 2021 seasons or soon to start them the foot dragging Indonesian league still has no idea whether it will finish the 2020 season,, restart as the 2020/21 season or just start afresh with 2021. With such apathy and lethargy in the corridors of power we are still a long way from knowing what a PSG Pati will look like when they finally take the field but off the field the club are putting the right building blocks into place for a rosy future!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-51108775500563888222020-10-16T12:36:00.001+07:002020-10-16T12:36:04.668+07:00Tampines, Lion City Invest Big Ahead Of RestartRoll on tomorrow as the Singapore Premier League returns after a lengthy covid induced hiatus. For those who can't remember, which includes me, the last game was played in March when ten man Tanjong Pagar United drew 2-2 with Albirex Niigata at Jurong East Stadium.<div><br /></div><div>The season restarts on Saturday with two games as Tanjong Pagar welcome Balestier Khalsa and leaders Tampines Rovers host Hougang United. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Cheetahs look to their first game minus their talismanic striker Stipe Plazibat after the 31 year old signed for Lion City Sailors in September. His absence will leave a large gap in Hougang's armoury as he netted nine times in six games before the break. Stipe isn't the only big name arrival at the team formerly known as Home United. Aussie coach Aurelio Vidmar has also bought in Hassan Sunny, Shahdan Sulaiman and Gabriel Quak and he will be looking for a quick return on that investment. Prior to the season halt, Lion City Sailors had drawn and lost their opening two games including a humiliating 4-0 reverse against Tampines.</div><div><br /></div><div>Talking of the table toppingvitals, they too have been busy recruiting ahead of their opening game, adding experience with players like Baihakki Khaizan and Fazrul Nawaz, both in their mid 30s. </div><div><br /></div><div>Singapore being Singapore they have copied/adopted 'protocols' from bigger leagues around the world to handle the ongoing covid shit. Teams can use up to five substitutes per game and there will be a water break allowed in each half. Players will be tested fortnightly and there will be no spectators at games with less than 100 supposedly essential workers on duty. Cynics might say that means nothing much has changed on that front but fortunately I'm no cynic!</div><div><br /></div><div>17th October</div><div>Tanjong Pagar United v Balestier Khalsa</div><div>Tampines Rovers v Hougang United</div><div><br /></div><div>18th October</div><div>Lion City Sailors v Geylang International</div><div>Young Lions v Albirex Niigata</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-33006231078489024302020-10-10T11:33:00.003+07:002020-10-10T11:33:46.328+07:00Kyrgyz League Ends After Upheaval?<div>The final round of games in the Kyrgyzstan Premier League were due to be played on Tuesday. I was planning to go to them but with the unrest and the fact there is a Russian military base near the ground i bottled it and stayed home, hoping to catch on TV</div><div>Come kick off time and the channel was showing a film about Nelson Mandela and the you tube channel had cancelled its streaming.</div><div>The FC Dordoi twitter account had posted videos of the team arriving as well as an info graph showing their line up...then silence. Likewise the KPL account on Instagram.</div><div>Finally the Dordoi social media team kicked into action on the Wednesday, or was it Thursday, suggesting the games had been put back 24 hours. Or was it 48?</div><div>I have no idea where we stand regarding the Kyrgyzstan Cup, which offers the winners a place in the AFC Cup next year, which was due to start yesterday. There may be a curfew and a state of emergency in place, I saw a post saying there are military roadblocks on the approaches to Bishkek and under the terms of any state of emergency all events are cancelled.</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-81793433302836319862020-09-30T20:03:00.004+07:002020-09-30T20:03:30.344+07:00Dordoi Need Three Points To Secure Title<div style="text-align: justify;">FC Dordoi go into tomorrow's penultimate league game against second place Alga knowing a win would secure them their 12th Premier League title. Victory would give the Bishkek giants an unassailable lead at the top of the table and a vastly superior goal difference.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Should Alga earn a surprise win however they would go into the final round of fixtures next Tuesday level on points with FC Dordoi and a tricky final game against Neftchi who are themselves waiting on a Dordoi slip up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tomorrow, Neftchi face an Abdish-Ata side who have gone off the boil in recent weeks with three draws in their last five games, a run that has seen the Kant side slip down to fourth, effectively ending their own title challenge.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dordoi coach Alexandr Krestinin will be hoping his team can find the free flowing football which had seen them crush Kaganat 8-1 a couple of weeks ago. Against Abdish-Ata and Alay in their last two games they have struggled against motivated opponents and tomorrow's game won't be any easier. Alga are known for keeping things tight at both ends, their 12 games have produced a total of 20 goals, and Krestinin will want his top scorer Mirlan Murzaev to rediscover the form that has seen him score eight goals this season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Dordoi 12 9 2 1 29-8 29</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Alga 12 8 2 2 13-7 26</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Neftchi 12 8 1 3 22-13 25</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-16770262202464135822020-09-26T18:07:00.001+07:002020-09-26T18:07:28.476+07:00Kyrgyz Republic Cup 2020<p style="text-align: justify;">The details have been announced for this year's national cup competition and with many other countries around the world it has beenmassively curtailed by the coronavirus.</p><p>Just seven teams from the premier League will enter the cup with the league champions not entering the competition and the runners up receiving a bye until the semifinals. As with the remainder of the KPL, the Kyrgyz Republic Cup will be held in Kant.</p><p>The cup draw is based on final League standings and are as follows</p><p>7th v 4th - Central Stadium</p><p>6th v 5th - Sports City</p><p>8th v 3rd - Nitra Arena</p><p>Ties will be played 9th, 12th and 15th October.</p><p>Neftchi are the current holders have defeated FC Dordoi Bishkek in last year's final 1-0 in Jalal-Abad.</p><p>Dordoi have won the cup the most with 10 wins under their belt while Alay Osh have lost nine finals!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the semifinals, the winner of the 7th v 4th tie will meet the league runners up at Central Stadium. The other semifinal will be played at Nitra Arena and the final will take place at Central Stadium.</p><p><br /></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-78194352151857007552020-09-17T21:16:00.002+07:002020-09-17T21:18:28.819+07:00Dordoi Bishkek Win Big But Wary Of Rivals Ahead Of Six Pointer Next Week<p style="text-align: justify;"> My first day in Bishkek coincided with Match Day 10 of the Kyrgyzstan Premier League but it was too short notice to get anything arranged and anyway there is a company paying for me to do other, non football stuff so it was only polite to put in an appearance there and show them I’m a real person and not some random guy they had been emailing for the last couple of weeks.
</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On the pitch Dordoi Bishkek comfortably brushed aside Kaganat 8-1 to cement their place at the top of the table while runners up Alga edged Kara Balta 2-1 to stay three points behind the leaders. Dordoi, owned by a local conglomerate with interests in retail among other businesses had only been founded in 1997 and had won the league a record 11 times and the last nine years have seen them and Alay (a team from the southern city of Osh) share the title among themselves.
</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Traditionally football has never been a major draw in Kyrgyzstan. During the Soviet era the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic and the Turkmen SSR were the only regions not to have been represented in the Soviet Top League and today with funds tight better players from around the region are attracted to the wealthier clubs in neighbouring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan domestic league crowds tend to be counted in the hundreds rather than the thousands though there has been greater interest in the national team in recent years.
</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The 2020 Kyrgyzstan Premier League kicked off in March but was halted by the coronavirus after only a round and a half. It wasn’t until five months later that the remaining two league games were played to complete Match Day 2. Because of the pandemic the league was centralised with games being played in the town of Kant, perhaps a 45 minute drive east of the capital, and no spectators allowed in.
</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dordoi's mauling of Kaganat gives the comfort of a substantial goal difference going into the final four Match Days and they will be particularly wary of third place Abdish Ata who have home town advantage and a confidence building six game unbeaten run behind them. First meets third next week and a victory for Abdish Ata would really throw open the title race with Alga also waiting for the leaders to slip up.
</p><p><br /></p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-6429219232033056072020-09-09T14:55:00.004+07:002020-09-09T14:58:05.366+07:00Liga 1 Clubs And Their Home Bases<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_99Cjhl39XWsQF-Bel4VXKrVT-MjddpOntida1UqhgLIVTbU4EcKh7cxntv6Q27donDpxttxA2SQY7PIMpy-o15nQHDUfF_4kLrnYehKx6A3FYgJoQs0gZD9t7oyE1CGUe_R/s6000/DSC_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_99Cjhl39XWsQF-Bel4VXKrVT-MjddpOntida1UqhgLIVTbU4EcKh7cxntv6Q27donDpxttxA2SQY7PIMpy-o15nQHDUfF_4kLrnYehKx6A3FYgJoQs0gZD9t7oyE1CGUe_R/s320/DSC_0707.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />With Liga 1 set to start in a few weeks, all 18 clubs have finalised their home base for the resumption of the season.<p></p><p>Half of the teams will continue to use their own home grounds while Persebaya move just down the road to Sidoarjo.</p><p>Yogyakarta is the preferred base for six teams. It has some of the best grounds in the country and is well located for getting around Java for the 'away' games</p><p><br /></p><p>Arema - Kanjuruhan Stadium</p><p>Bhayangkara - PTIK Stadium</p><p>Persib - GBLA Stadium</p><p>Persebaya, Madura United - Delta Stadium</p><p>PSIS - Citarum Stadium</p><p>Persik - Brawijaya Stadium</p><p>PSS, Borneo, Persiraja, Barito Putera - Maguwoharjo Stadium (pictured above)</p><p>Persija, Bali United, PSM - Sultan Agung Stadium</p><p>Persela - Surajaya Stadium</p><p>Tira Persikabo - Pakansari Stadium</p><p>Persipura - Gajayana Stadium</p><p>Persita - Benteng Taruna Stadium</p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-29546992192541791582020-09-09T14:37:00.002+07:002020-09-09T14:37:38.604+07:00Sumareh's Thai Switch <p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHm17tLHimGFybcJPHFMZ3PTKzM1yvjnWRqm3TbbWQdUXTqMFE_CHW-e5-cMdbWT3VP5E8_zlUhYi4pF7t1pU9s9XzuuiG3tc2eVa59Gji3H_Utz3Bh4o4xPaUtmuyPF3MPIM/s2048/DSC_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHm17tLHimGFybcJPHFMZ3PTKzM1yvjnWRqm3TbbWQdUXTqMFE_CHW-e5-cMdbWT3VP5E8_zlUhYi4pF7t1pU9s9XzuuiG3tc2eVa59Gji3H_Utz3Bh4o4xPaUtmuyPF3MPIM/s320/DSC_0463.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I first saw Mohamadou Sumareh playing for PDRM back in 2014 in a top of the table clash against Felda United and he must have impressed me as I seemed to have taken a number of photos of him. However, he really had me on the edge of my seat when I saw him score twice for Malaysia in an AFC Asian Cup Qualifier at Bukit Jalil in a 5-1 win over Timor Leste. That raw potential which had so impressed me five years earlier had blossomed into the real deal and he lit up the sparsely populated stadium.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And now he has left Malaysia. Typically, I think it's good for a player to try his luck overseas. They can 'find' themself as a person of course but they get their eyes opened to a different culture, a different way of doing things and they become more mature.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But reading the news that the Gambian born winger has signed for Police Tero in Thailand, has left me feeling a tad underwhelmed. Not for the player of course. If the rumours about his not being paid for several months are true then of course he is perfectly entitled to go to a club where he can look forward to a regular pay cheque.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">No. My feelings of misgiving lie in a different direction. Malaysian football is changing. The switch from state associations to privately owned football clubs is supposed to improve the management of the game and, I hope, provide us with a club, or clubs, which can challenge Johor Darul Ta'zim for the title. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Imagine a club like Selangor for example snapping up Sumareh. Think of the boost that would have given to the players and supporters at Shah Alam as well as sending out a strong message to the rest of the league that the Red Giants mean business once more.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For sure, Police Tero have got themselves an excellent talent and Sumerah ca sleep easy at night knowing he will be paid for his efforts but Malaysian football will be the loser if it keeps losing its most exciting players.</p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-16011894584031009192020-08-25T14:40:00.001+07:002020-08-25T14:40:39.743+07:00Time For A Brunei Philippines Singapore Super League?<p style="text-align: justify;">Selangor coach B. Satianathan came out recently and said Singaporean and Brunei clubs could join the Malaysian league. Soon after, an impromptu poll on Twitter had a majority of respondents in favour of a Singapore team back in Malaysia. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">All very interesting and something that taps into an idea I've had rattling around in my empty head over the last few days.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But first of all I don't think Malaysia needs the infusion of foreign teams. What it does need is strong, local sides to put pressure on Johor Daul Ta'zim's hegemony and hopefully the move away from murky, nepotistic associations to more transparent clubs will be a step in the right direction. A strong, well run Selangor or Kelantan would do more for the competitiveness of the league than any team from Brunei can ever hope to achieve.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Just as leagues like those in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam should be strong enough to stand on their own two feet, and would find any ASEAN Super League an inconvenient distraction from already crowded schedules, surely countries like Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines could do worse than to look out of the box.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Domestically Singapore has been dominated by foreign teams in recent years with DPMM and Albirex Niigata winning the last five seasons. The pandemic has hit the Philippines hard with Ceres Negros being sold and Global facing expulsion against the backdrop of a league that struggles for fans.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Would an ASEAN mini-Super League be a solution to that particular trio of countries, a BPS Super League?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">By bringing together for example the top three Singaporean sides, top two Philippine and DPMM into a single league it would ensure the better teams would be playing against stronger opposition on a regular basis rather than the hit and miss affairs they tend to get in their local leagues.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Based upon the 2019 season it would mean Tampines Rovers, Hougang United and Geylang International would go toe to toe with United City nee Ceros-Negros and Kaya-Iloilo as well as MS ABDB from Brunei. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Given the financial woes being faced by the Philippine sides, this mini league could be played in single city or venue and be rotated around the countries each year. Each team would play each other twice and like in a normal league, winner takes all.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Key though would be the respective domestic leagues would continue and at the end of their seasons there could be a play off between the title winners to decide which team gets promoted while the bottom side in the BPS Super League would be relegated. This would mean all clubs still have something to play for and the BPS Super League clubs could still compete in their own domestic cup competitions.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGLZ0nqIRUpIUbbw9d9pBqwerv5IKJsJDdqvTtuy0d-GN2HIGSWDlGEs9M3xXNgO50WNmCRi5K-prwgTJEhH5P-L1wVz5rwbEg0FonG6jegcZTGhVLXH0MVwt_NqmtiBSeWkT/s1024/S3010642.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGLZ0nqIRUpIUbbw9d9pBqwerv5IKJsJDdqvTtuy0d-GN2HIGSWDlGEs9M3xXNgO50WNmCRi5K-prwgTJEhH5P-L1wVz5rwbEg0FonG6jegcZTGhVLXH0MVwt_NqmtiBSeWkT/s640/S3010642.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">More importantly, it would need to have a strong management structure overseeing financing and marketing, much like the Indian Super League, and they would be responsible to go out there and secure the financing and sponsorship to ensure the league can be viable.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Philippines has good players but needs well run clubs. Brunei has money. Singapore has infrastructure. By combining these resources and adding some stardust is there a potential recipe for a successful league that would attract fans and improve the game in their respective countries?</p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-18823824415898874432020-08-23T14:52:00.001+07:002020-08-23T14:52:15.571+07:00Benteng Stadium Renovations<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Regular readers of the blog and or books may recall Benteng Stadium was closed when a local religious organisation declared Persita and Persikota playing football there was <a href="http://jakartacasual.blogspot.com/2012/02/closing-fort.html ">haram</a>! </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many will know of the Persija/Persib and Arema/Persebaya rivalries but the Tangerang Derby is another level!</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I recall going to a Persita game and there were Persikota fans along the way coming out of alleyways to lob rocks at the rival fans before scurrying back into their warrens.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Their fights have brought the main Jakarta - Merak tolll road to a standstill and when they weren't fighting each other they would fight with local residents near the ground!</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="https://scontent-lhr8-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118406218_3440818169289528_12971731282870345_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=C0xvjjc80QEAX8hD0NQ&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr8-1.xx&oh=38294b373f58162e6c7d7a17b6c2d07a&oe=5F6718DD" /></div><p><img src="https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118376525_3440818332622845_4267644314890162605_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=XM2COunptZUAX_f1nsg&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=f0e2e800ceafcf04ea20ffc6f150fab6&oe=5F66F3D5" /></p><p><img src="https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118401873_3440818232622855_6243257339408032768_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=VR8xvslSizIAX82AzvF&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=b88e05b049f39927edb730fd5da5a625&oe=5F687B7E" /></p><p><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjakartacasual.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F02%2Fclosing-fort.html%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1l4elb_pm3FAgbEpj_ahUixEuY4LjIsKA6NKevwDZELWn1M6_ugn-P2Ug&h=AT2EAJ4UTF77w6ZNI6udIyCk06M13noCI1kIpTW-vJdHx5BRYrYgBd5o7k_Q7Wh-kdAky4KR7k9vh9FxcOPdPmftq6zgQQUDGsRTfGYU65WMa25K2xDNvlmNP_3fKK27kDnL&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT2sM_uYtMS9GecZqv_a0z-NhjFd29lgBtdlGbfRRNJHXUuouIq1LZtSf3VaKJZyyg8KLipHnat7nhYXBRYWwk6TuQ0oO0_6KA8uDsB_oolMs94yGeBlmjdv_KdxzlilJA4I7U4vURt-gwGdNxdkaguLoUBJsXlKhdNT8e6KjpdwWmb8qzWu87bQklqa-qa9SFJR1zQaoLCOKecww4At9IaHsiE1sd5lu7f_" rel="nofollow" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; white-space: pre-wrap;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">http://jakartacasual.blogspot.com/2012/02/closing-fort.html</a> </p>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-71914642607109728662020-08-23T14:34:00.002+07:002020-08-23T14:34:44.478+07:00Champion Kas Drops To Liga 3<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interesting to see two experienced coaches taking the reigns of a lowly Liga 3 side</span></span></p><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="fbf7r" data-offset-key="28gp9-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="28gp9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="28gp9-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kas Hartadi is the new coach of Persipat with Ibnu Grahan coming in as Technical Director.</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="fbf7r" data-offset-key="45eg9-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="45eg9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="45eg9-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kas led Sriwijaya to the ISL back in 2011/12 but if you think that piece of bling on his resume was enough for him to walk into top jobs then Indonesian football doesn't work that way.</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="fbf7r" data-offset-key="570vk-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="570vk-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="570vk-0-0">Pati in Central Java is also home to </span><span class="diy96o5h" data-offset-key="570vk-1-0" end="56" spellcheck="false" start="37" style="background-color: var(--text-highlight);">Rudy Eka Priyambada</span><span data-offset-key="570vk-2-0">'s academy where the two coaches had been most recently working.</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="fbf7r" data-offset-key="c3jto-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c3jto-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="c3jto-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Escaping Liga 3 is no easy feat. In fact trying to follow it isn't easy either.</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="fbf7r" data-offset-key="70qr6-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="70qr6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="70qr6-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Persijap won the title last season but only after a long, tortuous season that saw them play in a regional league then go into some play offs before a national round that eventually led to semi finals and finals.</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="fbf7r" data-offset-key="1dp3p-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1dp3p-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="1dp3p-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While some accounts do their best to keep up with Liga 3, the different regions operate at their own slow pace and not all are, shall we say, media savvy.</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="fbf7r" data-offset-key="61ise-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="61ise-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span data-offset-key="61ise-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for 2020, there have been suggestions Liga 3 won't even happen this season Personally I hope it does. I may not get to see many games but it doesn't half improve my geography!</span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="61ise-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="61ise-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;">Pictured below are PSKC fans at their Liga 3 2019 semi final against Persekat at Siliwangi Stadium. That was a story and a half! The game was initially slated for Si Jalak Harupat so off we set to Soreang only to find no-one seemed to have a scooby. With kick off time rapidly approaching we took a gamble and made for Siliwangi Stadium in Bandung. There was no communication from clubs or liga through social media but given the large number of Perssekat fans at Siliwangi, someone somehow must have known where the game was to be played...just not the general public!</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="61ise-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="61ise-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative; text-align: justify;">In 2018 there were 28 teams in Liga 3 Central Java...who knows how many there will be in 2020. It's gonna be interesting to see how the experienced Kas does at this level.<br /><span data-offset-key="61ise-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UR5eeeeDTJAc6VVVxuel-WltR2-0j2HECpASUlzLsSFio41j-_f-2kZRyBNK7RvcMS4yvZ7HJahVNzl0kKapY9HwfdUREcafEtZ6IE510Jfbyuml2PVO0TSPuXLdDGT9vzeT/s2048/20191226_154413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UR5eeeeDTJAc6VVVxuel-WltR2-0j2HECpASUlzLsSFio41j-_f-2kZRyBNK7RvcMS4yvZ7HJahVNzl0kKapY9HwfdUREcafEtZ6IE510Jfbyuml2PVO0TSPuXLdDGT9vzeT/s640/20191226_154413.jpg" /></a></div></span></span></div></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-32096085701693877412020-08-20T15:49:00.001+07:002020-08-20T15:49:37.089+07:00New Club For Sidoarjo?<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A businessman is looking to start a new club in Sidoarjo, East Java.</span></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">He initially looked at buying Deltras, now in Liga 3, but balked at the price so is looking at forming his own.</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sidoarjo is pretty much a suburb of Surabaya, a pretty big suburb with a population of some 200,000 while the greater Sidoarjo district has more than a couple of million. Most of whom will follow Persebaya! </div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I recall watching Deltras play Arema in front of 35,000 many years back. The game was played in pouring rain and Acmad Kurniawan, now sadly passed away, had a blinder</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's a city with potential and a good stadium for a well run club.</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a second club, Persida, which is part of the local government but the investor doesn't seem to want to go down that route. In fact, there was a story a few years back suggesting Deltras and Persid had joined forces to become <a href="http://jakartacasual.blogspot.com/2016/05/deltras-and-persida-merge-to-sidoarjo.html">Sidoarjo United</a>. Wonder what became of that little daliance?</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deltras, it's worth pointing out, initially came from Bali!</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Among the names the businessman is considering are Delta Sidoarjo and, umm, Sidoarjo FC!</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHLMKKvX7AIhooimArWk_zZzD_ZnoUtXG2EM4fH-cwSwRGI0-kfoITOCSx1sT8am75nC_g-gQGrKeUi_8SQhGJfnCd_Szo7RuX7mQjMrRN68IpytTaDNg7WiYulki6cFVRCLG/s2048/a1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHLMKKvX7AIhooimArWk_zZzD_ZnoUtXG2EM4fH-cwSwRGI0-kfoITOCSx1sT8am75nC_g-gQGrKeUi_8SQhGJfnCd_Szo7RuX7mQjMrRN68IpytTaDNg7WiYulki6cFVRCLG/s640/a1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjS7tVXZh_yvsDlaPBaZBRhg6scCRBIN_5PQ_JnzDcgXR5g4DJvXXdfqy_W3tfHYok27x5N-cU9JLlkOaJRJPtoFyQD6DRbxOsvFd1qMfk1pDorT8txblZMguTPHR1A_HeyoSN/s1890/a3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1094" data-original-width="1890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjS7tVXZh_yvsDlaPBaZBRhg6scCRBIN_5PQ_JnzDcgXR5g4DJvXXdfqy_W3tfHYok27x5N-cU9JLlkOaJRJPtoFyQD6DRbxOsvFd1qMfk1pDorT8txblZMguTPHR1A_HeyoSN/s640/a3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBX0AkXcGLw5hz5KttKq2TV5riKNXj4p-9M8URweeexJTzgLZ02kffgEWtOoMRHznojTJFvukYoERkIWtM1piVokyYaan-FHCNKnjLS7BLMFT6EQdyzlRZH-SgpOdJhzlxlj6X/s549/jctv1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="549" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBX0AkXcGLw5hz5KttKq2TV5riKNXj4p-9M8URweeexJTzgLZ02kffgEWtOoMRHznojTJFvukYoERkIWtM1piVokyYaan-FHCNKnjLS7BLMFT6EQdyzlRZH-SgpOdJhzlxlj6X/s0/jctv1.jpg" /></a></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20468541.post-15280734926374990812020-08-17T15:23:00.002+07:002020-08-17T15:26:36.355+07:00The Changing Face Of Football<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The changing face of Indonesian football. In 2020 there were 33 teams in three regionalised groups. Only Semen Padang, Gresik United, Mitra Kukar and Deltras didn't feature the acronym PS (Persatuan Sepakbola) in one form or another - although the Mitra Kukar does show a PS it is rarely used.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today the scene is much different as can be seen by this graphic. Now, half the clubs in Liga 2 lack a PS in their name. Many familiar names have fallen by the wayside, lost due to local political apathy or mergers, while new names have risen to the fore.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Clubs like Arema, Bali United and Sriwijaya have left their mark on the Indonesian football scene, will the likes of Badak Lampang and Sulut United go on to make similar lasting impressions?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have written previously about the consolidation of football clubs previously including <a href="https://jakartacasual.blogspot.com/2019/03/perseru-just-latest-much-needed.html">this piece</a> from last year</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">While this piece looks at the disappearance of <a href="https://jakartacasual.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-decline-and-fall-of-papuan-club.html">Papuan</a> clubs from the national landscape</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "segoe ui historic", "segoe ui", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="l9j0dhe7" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="l9j0dhe7" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="bp9cbjyn tqsryivl j83agx80 cbu4d94t ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7 k4urcfbm" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: center; background-color: #fbfcfb; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); 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align-items: center; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--secondary-text); cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex: 1 0 0%; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; height: 32px; justify-content: center; line-height: 1; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px 2px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: all 400ms cubic-bezier(0.08, 0.52, 0.52, 1) 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" tabindex="0">SOURCE <a href="https://twitter.com/Indostransfer">@Indos.transfer</a></div></span></div></div><div class="cwj9ozl2 tvmbv18p" style="background-color: var(--card-background); font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;"><span class="pmk7jnqg g0aa4cga q45zohi1" data-html2canvas-ignore="true" style="clip-path: polygon(0px 0px, 0px 0px, 0px 0px, 0px 0px); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); font-family: inherit; position: absolute;"><h4 class="gmql0nx0 l94mrbxd p1ri9a11 lzcic4wl" dir="auto" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Co</h4></span></div></div></div></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187124140571754012noreply@blogger.com0