Jakarta Casual
Thursday, May 05, 2016
Arema Fans Asked Not To Travel To Madura
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| Bangkalan Stadium to be an Aremania free zone this weekend |
Madura is an island off the north coast of Java and is connected to the larger island by a bridge. Now while this makes things easier for people to visit the island it causes a problem for police when it comes to fans travelling to Bangkalan for games.
Java side, the bridge starts in Surabaya and that is a concern for the police. Tensions between fans of Arema and Persebaya are high at the best of times and while there may be no Persebaya as such these days their supporters, known as Bonek, haven't lost their loathing for Arema fans.
Indeed during the General Sudirman Cup Arema and Surabaya United fans clashed in the road to Sleman leaving two Arema fans dead.
Arema fans driving Malang plated vehicles would have been a magnet for Bonek up for a row this weekend while elements of the travelling support may have ideas of revenge from their road trip. While Arema fans have accepted the ban they do not discount the idea some fans may make it to the game, albeit not wearing colours.
'Madura has many Arema fans,' said a supporters club official. 'we don't just go everywhere, we are everywhere,' before adding they respected the decision from the local police force
It's sad that fans should be prevented from travelling but under the circumstances totally understandable. Rivalries are a good thing in football but for once, as far as Bill Shankly's words are concerned, football is not more important than life or death.
UPDATE 6 May - Indonesian media have been reporting Persebaya fans, known as Bonek, were out in large numbers on the approach roads to the bridge looking for Malang registered vehicles. One such vehicle was attacked and damaged even though the driver was from Madura! A bus ferrying outside broadcast equipment to Bangkalan to cover the game was also attacked by fans.
Arema stayed in a hotel in Surabaya last night due to a shortage of hotels in Bangkalan but they refused to disclose the location to the media for fear of Persebaya fans tracking them down. This rivalry is real!
Labels: Arema, Aremania, Bonek, Hooliganism, Indonesian Football, ISC, Madura United, Persebaya
Monday, May 02, 2016
PS TNI Lose First Game But Support Offers Hope For The Future
Bali United v Pusamania Borneo 1-1 (Nemanja Vidakovic; OG) 7,230
Two clubs borne from one club, Persisam Putra, put on a decent show that was not without controversy in Bali yesterday. It was the home team that took the lead, Vidakovic's spectacular effort from outside the box leaving Dian Agus grasping for thin air. Defender Kiko Insa later put through his own goal attempting to clear a corner.
It's fair to say Pusamania deserved the draw but it could have been three points had Tarik Boschetti not missed an open goal from a few yards out, his header going wide.
The experienced Gerald Pangkali was red carded for a reckless challenge on the edge of the penalty area. A guy who has been round the block a bit, he should have known better than to go for such a tackle in such a dangerous area; some refs would have given a penalty as well. Moments later and it was Zulkifli doing something similar but this time he just received a yellow.
Things got a bit hot towards the end of the second half with Bali United pressing for the winner. Another silly challenge, this time by Sandi in the middle of the field saw the ref brandish yellow again prompting angry scenes in the Pusamania dugout with coach Dragan Djukanovic giving thematch officials a piece of his mind.
Bali fans in the main stand responded by throwing plastic water bottles at the dug out and one Pusamania 'official' was seen throwing one back in the crowd. It was all handbags really but at the end of the day while Pusamania will be glad to have left with a point after playing much of the game with 10 men it will be a concern to see some poor decision making at the back that could have cost them the game.
Two clubs borne from one club, Persisam Putra, put on a decent show that was not without controversy in Bali yesterday. It was the home team that took the lead, Vidakovic's spectacular effort from outside the box leaving Dian Agus grasping for thin air. Defender Kiko Insa later put through his own goal attempting to clear a corner.
It's fair to say Pusamania deserved the draw but it could have been three points had Tarik Boschetti not missed an open goal from a few yards out, his header going wide.
The experienced Gerald Pangkali was red carded for a reckless challenge on the edge of the penalty area. A guy who has been round the block a bit, he should have known better than to go for such a tackle in such a dangerous area; some refs would have given a penalty as well. Moments later and it was Zulkifli doing something similar but this time he just received a yellow.
Things got a bit hot towards the end of the second half with Bali United pressing for the winner. Another silly challenge, this time by Sandi in the middle of the field saw the ref brandish yellow again prompting angry scenes in the Pusamania dugout with coach Dragan Djukanovic giving thematch officials a piece of his mind.
Bali fans in the main stand responded by throwing plastic water bottles at the dug out and one Pusamania 'official' was seen throwing one back in the crowd. It was all handbags really but at the end of the day while Pusamania will be glad to have left with a point after playing much of the game with 10 men it will be a concern to see some poor decision making at the back that could have cost them the game.
Bali United 1 Rully Desrian; 13 Bobby Satria, 14 Fadil Sausu, 87 Kiko Insa, 44 I Gede Sukadana, 8 Ricky Fajrin; 59 Hasim Kipuw, 69 Lucas Patinho; 17 I Nyoman Sukarja, 99 Nemanja Vidakovic, 11 Yabes Roni Malaifani
Subs: 20 Ngurah Komang Arya Perdana, 27 Agus Nova Wiantara, 6 Felsianus Junius R. Bate, 19 Hendra Sandi Gunawan, 10 Loudry Meilana Setiawan, 92 Syakir Sulaiman, 18 I Made Wirahadi
Pusamania Borneo 33 Dian Agus Prasetyo; 4 Jad Noureddin, 32 Leonard Tupamahu, 28 Terens Owang Puhiri, 3 Zulkifli Syukur; 27 Gerald Pangkali, 77 Jefri Kurniawan, 11 Ponaryo Astaman, 21 Sandi Darma Sute, 6 Tarik Boschetti; 9 Pedro Javier Velazquez Insfran
Subs: 97 Nadeo Arga Winata, 16 Aang Suparman, 24 Diego Robbie Michiels, 10 Edilson Tavares, 92 Fandhy Achmad, 12 Lerby Eliandry Pong Baru, 22 Sultan Samma
Arema v Persiba 2-0 (Hamka Hamzah, Cristian Gonzales) 17,464
Arema fans with long memories can recall back in their Indonesia Super League title winning season Persiba coming to their Kanjuruhan Stadium and picking up a 2-1 win. It was their only home loss of the season but proof that Persiba do have this uncanny knack of upsetting the big boys when the mood takes them.
For Arema, they had seen the likes of Persib, Sriwijaya and Persipura only draw in their opening games and this was a chance for them to throw down an early season marker and this they duly managed when Hamka bundled home the ball from close range after just 12 minutes. The ageless Gonzales made it 2-0 11 minutes before half time and while Persiba did put the Arema goal under some pressure the home team held out for a crucial, confidence building win.
Some bad news though for Arema was coach Milomir Seslija having to make all his substitutions so early. Aussie import Gustavo Giron came on for Gonzales in the second half leaving the coach and his team on the bench to sweat the second 45 minutes, hoping no more injuries came their way.
Arema
1 Kurnia Meiga; 23 Hamka Hamzah, 87 Johan Ahmat Farizi, 4 Syaiful Indra Cahya, 16 Goran Ganchev; 11 Esteban Vizcarra, 12 Hendro Siswanto, 8 Raphael Maitimo, 22 Srdan Lopicic; 10 Cristian Gonzales, 41 Dendi Santoso
Subs: 21 I Made Wardhana, 7 Beny Wahyudi, 6 Ryuji Utomo, 94 Ferry Aman Saragih, 77 Juan Revi Auriqto, 9 Gustavo Giron Marulanda, 15 Sunarto
Persiba
23 Yoewanto Stya Beny; 88 Abdul Aziz Lutfi Akbar, 17 Abdul Rahman, 26 Dirkir Kohn Glay, 19 Iqbal Samad, 24 Ledi Utomo; 5 Antonio Teles, 13 Kurniawan Karman, 89 Oktovianus Maniani, 77 Rahel Radiansyah, 18 Shohei Matsunaga
Subs: 96 Kurniawan Kartika Ajie, 32 Absor Fauzi, 15 Asep Budi Santoso, 11 Frengky Turnando, 22 Siswanto, 94 Heri Susanto, 8 Syamsir Alam
PS TNI v Madura United 1-2 (Tambun Dibty Naibaho; Pablo Rodrigues, Slamet Nurcahyono) 10,152
PS TNI, making their debut in the top flight after their merger with Persiram, managed to answer one question. More than 10,000 fans turned out for this game at Siliwangi Stadium including a smattering of away supporters. Another question though still lingers. With the club policy to build a team around military personnel and spurn foreign players how will they cope at this level?
In Legimin Raharjo they have experience by the bucket load and in Manahati Lestusen they have youthful promise and endeavour. But is there enough in the rest of the squad to mount a successful campaign? The evidence from one game suggests no but at the same time they won't be walkovers for anyone.
Madura United are another new team, taking over from Pelita Bandung Raya, and they are working hard to build a professional football club in an area that is often overlooked by the rest of the country. They have recruited wisely and in Fabiano Beltrame they have one of the best foreign players around; surely a message of intent from the football club.
Labels: Arema, Bali United, Indonesian Football, ISC, Madura United, Persiba, PS TNI, Pusamania Borneo
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Andritany Saves Persija In ISC Opener
Persipura v Persija 1-1 (James Koko Lomell; Ade Jantra) 21,000
Persipura came from behind to earn a point against Persija in the opening game of the Indonesian Soccer Championship in Jayapura. VThe visitors took the lead early in the first half with a sweet drive from inside the box by new boy Jantra before the experienced Liberian striker James Koko Lomell restored parity soon after.
There was a big crowd at the Mandala Stadium for the game including the president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. Persipura have kind of lost their way since Jacksen F Tiago surprisingly stepped down towards the end of 2014 and after some poor performances in local tournaments his one time assistant Osvaldo Lessa bit the bullet ahead of the season.
Jafri Sastra has come in and has been boosted by the return of Persipura old hands Yoo Jae Hoon, Bio Paulin, Ricardo Salempessy while Boas has returned from a short stint in Timor Leste with Carsae.
Persija had keeper Andritany for the point after the 24 year old pulled off a series of fine saves. I make much of the fact many aging imports keep young Indonesian players out of their respective clubs but Andritany has been first choice with Persija for a number of seasons now and if he continues in this kind of form is set to be first choice for the national team...once they resume operations!
The game would have finished about midnight local time. I guess no one there has to worry about catching the last train or bus home!
The game would have finished about midnight local time. I guess no one there has to worry about catching the last train or bus home!
Persipura: 1 Yoo Jae Hoon; 45 Bio Paulin, 5 Izaac Wanggai, 4 Ricardo Salampessy, 2 Rony Esar Beroperay, 21 Yustinus Pae; 13 Ian Louis Kabes, 12 Nelson Alom; 86 Boaz Solossa, 30 Boakay Eddy Foday, 10 James Koko Lomell
Subs: 20 Ferdiansyah, 31 Dominggus Fakdawer, 32 Muhammad Tahir, 22 Ordinary Kennedy Sengbah, 49 Jaelani Arey, 18 Riky Kayame, 17 Yohanes Ferinando Pahabol
Persija: 26 Andritany Ardhiyasa; 4 Andik Rendika Rama, 14 Ismed Sofyan, 28 Rezaldi Hehanusa, 6 Maman Abdurrahman, 33 Willian Pacheco; 17 Amrizal Umanailo, 19 Ade Jantra Lukmana, 22 Hong Soon-hak; 11 Rachmat Affandi, 8 Sutanto Tan
Subs: 31 Reky Rahayu, 24 Firmansyah Priyatna, 13 Gunawan Dwi Cahyo, 32 Novri Setiawan, 7 Rizki Ramdani Lestaluhu, 10 Aldi Al Achya, 18 Jose Adolfo Guerra Argote
Semen Padang v PSM 2-1 (Nur Iskander, Sacremento; Sinaga) 7,323
Even before the ISC campaign began, PSM coach Luciano Leandro was feeling the heat after a series of poor results in the pre season games. A loss in their opening game of the season has surely increased the pressure on the Brazilian.
It seems like Nur Iskander has been with Semen Padang with years but in fact he only joined in 2012 from Persibo. Initially forming a lethal partnership with Liberian Edward Wilson Junior, Iskander has continued to score goals even with his team mate's departure and has been at the core of a decent Semen Padang side over the last couple of years. No surprise then he should have scored the club's opening goal of the campaign.
Ferdinand Sinaga did get on the scoresheet against one of his former clubs but it remains to be seen whether it will have any impact on Leandro's future. After the game he said 'I am sorry to the players, the officials and also the management team. I take full responsibility for the loss and I will not hide.' Wow. Words you will never hear Arsene Wenger say but that is how the game is played in Indonesia.
Sad but true, if you lose the first game of a new season as a coach you are a dead man walking and while football people may point to the fact Padang is traditionally a tough place for away teams to get a result the club owners march to a different tune.
Semen Padang: 2 Jandia Eka Putra; 11 Hengki Ardiles, 2 Novan Setya Sasongko, 89 Cassio Fransisco De Jesus, 4 Handi Ramdhan; 10 Vendry Mofu, 88 Irsyad Maulana, 20 Riko Simanjuntak 77 Diego Messias; 17 M. Nur Iskandar, 8 Marcel Silva Sacramento
Subs: 33 Rivky Mokodompit, 3 Satrio Syam, 16 Agung Prasetyo, 7 Rudi, 44 Mekan Nasyrov, 32 Defri Rizki, 26 Christhover Manuel Sibi
PSM: 92 Dimas Galih Pratama; 5 Boman Irie Aime, 21 Valentino Telaubun, 2 Hendra Wijaya, 23 Jajang Maulana; 8 Syamsul Chaerudin, 22 Ardan Aras, 10 Alex Da Silva De Souza, 19 Rizky Pellu; 3 Ferdinand Sinaga, 20 Lamine Diarrasouba
Subs: 33 David Ariyanto, 4 Wasyiat Hasbullah, 45 Erik Setiawan, 17 Rasyid Bakrie, 27 Maldini Pali, 37 Muchlis Hadi Ning Syaifulloh, 86 Hasan Basri Lohy
Labels: Indonesian Football, ISC, Macan Kemayoran, Mutiara Hitam, Persija Jakarta, Persipura Jayapura, PSM Makassar, Semen Padang
