Jakarta Casual

Apart from a couple of seasons inspired by the likes of M Ridwan, GH Ortiz and Emmanuel de Porras, they briefly flickered 20 years ago, challenging for the title but ultimately falling short.

The last two decades have seen them flit between the top two divisions without really making an impression but now further ignominy beckons.

With 21 games gone, PSIS sit second bottom of Championship Group 2, 9th in the 10-team division and firmly in the relegation play-off place. Only six games, and a perfectly hapless Persipal is keeping them off the bottom of the table. 

The season can not end soon enough for the players who face further humiliation were they to drop to the third tier and oblivion.

A team packed with experienced names like Esteban Vizcarra (39 years old), Beto Goncalves (45), Otavio Dutra (42) but they have only managed 11 goals all season. In fact, a look at the player profiles shows a squad rammed with players around 30 years old. Youth definitely isn't being given a chance in this part of Central Java.

If the squad has you scratching your head, look at the coaches they've had this season.

The 2025/26 season began with local legend M Ridwan as caretaker but he was replaced by Kahudi Wahyu, someone I am totally unfamiliar with. 

Kahudi lasted three months before Ega Raka Ghalih took over as caretaker at the end of September. After a few weeks, Eka was given the job permanently. Well, I say permanent, he lasted 17 days before he was gone!

In came Jafri Sastra for his second spell at the club and his 17th appointment since he first made his name at Semen Padang back in 2012-2015.

If you're expecting the experienced Jafri was going to bring stability, think again. He was sacked on 31st January and PSIS waited a couple of weeks before announcing their new coach, Andri Ramawi Putra on Valentine's Day.

As far as I'm aware, Andri is still with the club. PSIS are also unbeaten under his stewardship which probably guarantees his job until the end of the month - when games start after the Ramadhan break! 

PSIS v Persela 1-0 (Rafael De Sa Rodrigues 90) 5,103 

Deltras v PSIS 0-1 (Rafael De Sa Rodrigues 27) 1,197

Persiba v PSIS 0-0 534

Five points from three games after 11 from their previous 18 is a marked improvement. Now on their fifth coach, but with Andri providing the tactical nous on the training ground and new signing Rafinha finding the net, who's to say PSIS won't escape the dreaded drop at the end of an eventful season?!

# posted by Me @ 7:47 PM 0 comments

On the 6th February, Lion City Sailors announced coach Aleksandar Rankovic was out despite the team unbeaten and top of the Premier League. Perceived wisdom is that losses in the ASEAN Club Championship against Nam Dinh and Svay Rieng sealed his fate.

I remember thinking at the time there was an arrogance about such a move. Yes, LCS were imperious domestically and yes the club owners may think the club is too big for their league and they should be doing better regionally. They were also knocked out of the AFC Champions League 2 at the group stage.

Getting rid of Rankovic with the team boasting a perfect eight wins from eight games and a newly acquired Singappore Cup in the trophy cabinet does suggest the owners sensed retaining their Premier League title isn't in any danger and they felt sure a new guy could just come in and keep the machine ticking over.

Then events on the pitch turned around and bit them on the bum. 

First up was a 1-1 draw against rivals Tampines Rovers - their first points dropped of the season. 

Next came a superbly ding dong affair against Albirex Niigata. The Champions came from 2-0 on 14 minutes to 2-2 in the second half before Komei Lida made it 3-2 and a nervy ending ensued before Sailors keeper Ivan Susak levelled in the 8th minute of injury time.

On paper, two points against two sides isn't that much of a disaster and, unlike Johor Darul Ta'zim across the Causeway in Malaysia, LCS were always going to drop points at some stage. But to draw two games in quick succession conceding four goals along the way, they had conceded four in their previous 10 games (!), hot on the heels of changing coach may cause some butterflies on deck.

Not forgetting the Sailors have also lost the services of Maxime Lestienne, one of the finest imports to the game in many years.

It's all well and good a club acting like they're Chelsea and always looking to replace a coach for falling short but they need to be sure what they have built behind the scenes is strong enough to withstand any change in the helmsman.

This weekend they play Geylang International and while the Eagles may not be the freescoring loons they were last season, on their day they can ask anyone questions. And Tampines, with four wins in their last five games come up against bottom of the table Young Lions, waiting to pounce on another Sailors slip.

New coach Jesus Casas will be hoping his Sailors return to the form that saw them storm to the top of the table or he could be feeling the pressure a bit quicker than he might have expected.

# posted by Me @ 5:56 PM 0 comments

Something very strange happened in Selangor's last Malaysian Super League game against Melaka last week. It was a 0-0 draw, which meant not only did the Red Giants draw a blank, but their prolific Brazilian striker Chrigor continued his recent barren run.

Since hitting four away to DPMM in early January, the 25-year-old striker has hit just one goal in his last four games.

Not that his teammates will be unduly concerned. In his first season in Malaysia, Chrigor has hit 17 goals in 18 league games. He also has five goals in five FA Cup ties, four goals in four Malaysia Cup ties and four in six AFC Champions League 2 ties. Oh, and a rather mediocre one in five ASEAN Club Championship ties.

With those kinds of numbers, can we expect to see him in the red and blue of Johor Darul Ta'zim in the near future?!

In only his second season in South East Asia, Chrigor has found goals much easier to come by than his earlier stats suggest, if we can trust his Wikipedia entry. He started last season with Buriram United, where he averaged a goal every two games before going on loan to PT Prachuap where he continued rippling the old onion bag with 10 in 13.

Unlike Ronnie Fernandes who had a decent season in Selangor in 24/25, Chrigor still has a good few years ahead of him, not turning 26 until November

In a league dominated by a single behemoth, will Chrigor's goals be the difference that will help the Red Giants lift a trophy this season?

They sit second in the Super League, 18 points behind the southern Leviathan. They were knocked out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage by Sabah. They do however, have a semi-final against Kuching City in the Malaysia Cup to look forward to and are also in the semi-final of the ASEAN Club Championship, where they face Nam Dinh over two legs in May.

If we exclude the MFL Challenge Cup last season, Selangor haven't tasted glory since they lifted the Malaysia Cup in 2015, a positive drought for one of the big names in the country.

With Chrigor in such fine form, this season will be their best chance to lift some silverware and give their long suffering fans a chance to celebrate, no matter how briefly!

# posted by Me @ 3:39 PM 0 comments

Newly promoted Bhayangkara didn't start the season to well but their form in recent weeks has been nothing short of impressive as the 2017 Liga 1 Champions appear to have turned a corner.

A 1-4 reverse against PSBS on 12th January seems to have been the touchstone for a change in fortunes. Since that loss, the Guardians have won four and drawn one of their last six games, most recently hitting eight goals in two games.

Like all runs, Bahayangkara's started off the radar with a 1-1 draw against Persita but a week later they sent out a message when they travelled to Ternate and beat star-studded Malut United 2-1 with goals from Moussa Sidibie and Moises Wolschick. 

Their next game was perhaps a return to kind as they lost 2-1 at home to Borneo, another side with title aspirations but there was a sea change going on behind the scenes in Lampang as coach Paul Munster was working hard behind the scenes to turn their fortunes around. On the road again, Bhayangkara next travelled to Persebaya and came away with another 2-1 win. 

Staying in East Java, next up was an impressive 4-3 win against Persik with the goals being shared by Slavko Damjanovic, Nehar Sediki, Privat Mbarga and a late winner from Bernard Doumbia. 

Earlier this week, they welcomed relegation-threatened Semen Padang and sent them on their way with a 4-0 victory with Sidibe netting a couple and loanee Ryo Matsumura and Doumbia also on the score sheet.

While no one is expecting a late charge for AFC places, wins in their next two games against Dewa United and Arema will make their home game against Persija on the 5th April very interesting indeed

# posted by Me @ 9:58 PM 0 comments

Sadly, Indonesia is used to fan misbehaviour at football. Often, it doesn't involve rival supporters but sees fans invading the pitch and attacking players and/or match officials. The authorities do nothing beyond mealy-mouth platitudes like 'I hope it doesn't happen again' - Indonesia's version of Americans sending prayers after another school shooting. Soundbites replace any meaningful action.

There always seems to be an excuse for kicking off as those involved or those who approve of their actions seek to deflect blame elsewhere. They climbed the fence. They jumped onto the running track. They ran onto the pitch. But it's the ref's fault!

When it happens domestically, no one really cares. No one beyond the borders takes any notice unless there are casualties so it's easily brushed under the carpet.

But when it happens in a high-profile competition featuring a team from overseas, then that does attract attention and that is what happened recently when Persib fans invaded the pitch at the end of their AFC Champions League tie with Ratchaburi. 

Persib won the game 1-0 but lost 3-1 on aggregate to the Thai side. Some fans however, felt the ref was unfairly biased to the visiting side, so they wanted to get at him. Dunno why - in preparing this piece, I looked into how many times a ref had changed the result because of angry supporters. It's zero. Nada. It doesn't happen. 

Watching the scenes unfold, you can't help but wonder. How are the invaders able to get on the pitch so easily? Where's the police? Where's the security? And why the hell are Persib coach Bojan Hodak and some of the players trying to calm the situation?

This is where things start to get complicated. Indonesians tend not to trust security officials at the best of times, and the events at Kanjuruhan a few years back, where cops fired teargas at supporters and more than 100 died, are still fresh in people's memory.  Anti-government demonstrations frequently attract large crowds, even though people do die. The photo above comes from a game in Jakarta where fans attacked the police.

More recently, a local punk band got into hot water with officials after releasing a song that suggested a lack of trust in security - they later issued an apology.

These domestic concerns won't interest the AFC or the Ratchaburi players who are left with pretty traumatic memories of their short time in Bandung. Persib can expect some punishment to be handed down by the AFC over the incident and a reprimand which is likely to hit them in the pocket. Hard.

Against that backdrop, what can Indonesian football do to ensure player and official safety at games and on the pitch? Looking for solutions from other countries isn't helpful. In England, for example, the football atmosphere has been regulated, legislated and priced out of existence. I can't see membership schemes, increased ticket prices and banning orders being introduced in Indonesia and even if they were - sanctions are only as good as enforcement and let's face it, even the most bellicose, flag-waving nationalist will admit most stewards aren't any good!

While the scenes of fans leaping around like extras from The Football Factory embarrassed many, it's worth bearing in mind that there were only a few of them. I've been at games where hundreds, nay thousands, have been quick to run on the pitch. 

Were those in Bandung from isolated fan groups? Are they known to the greater Bobotoh community? If they are, then perhaps the club could work with them to impress on the miscreants that their actions damage not just their football club but their country.

You could try banning them, but given what I've written earlier, do you reckon security would refuse to let them in the ground? Reporting to a local police station on match day? 

It seems obvious the government and the PSSI aren't really interested so any action, any change needs to come from the clubs.

One possible solution would be a uniquely Indonesian way. If they are identified, the club, fan groups and local religious leaders and these youths could be brought together and have the error of their ways explained to them legally and spiritually. There is a precedent for religious scholars getting involved - a fatwa was needed to stop the violence that regularly occurred at or near Benteng Stadium in Tangerang between rival Persikota and Persita fans.

Once upon a time I would have made some pithy comment about how nice it would have been for the Thai team to play in a stadium with a proper atmosphere. But seeing the Persib coach leading efforts to defuse the situation, if I was Indonesian, and half my family is, I would have felt embarrassed. Embarrassed there was no-one prepared to stop those kids from even climbing the fence, letting alone getting on the pitch.

# posted by Me @ 8:38 PM 0 comments

Don’t get your hopes up, and whisper it quietly, but there might – just might – be a challenge emerging to Johor Darul Ta’zim for supremacy in Malaysian domestic football.

• First, he picks his best defender. I don’t know what Singaporean Safuwan Baharuddin did to get himself ostracised and loaned to Lion City Sailors, but he is undoubtedly Selangor’s best defender. Now he’s back in the team, they look steady with a good partnership emerging alongside Mamadou Diarra
• In midfield, a replacement for the promising but largely defensive-minded Syahir Bashah by the attack-minded loan signing no 10 Hugo Boumous allows Noah Laine and Noor Al Rawabdeh to rotate No 6 duties and get forward more often.
• Out wide, Faisal Halim looks like the player of 2023 and seems fully recovered from his horrific acid-attack, whilst Cape Verdean Alvin Fortes is also revelling in being involved more. Both scored against The Deer and looked in great form.
• And the Pan-Gon trademark of changing his front 3 around the hour mark with two new signings (Kim Ji-ho and Jose Pernambuco) keeping up the pressure on the now well-beaten Negeri Sembilan.
• High intensity, high pressure and positive football.

# posted by Me @ 4:53 PM 0 comments