Saturday, November 22, 2008
Arema Fans Told to Behave
Arema’s Cup Quest Is On
Arema Malang has its sights set on a third Copa Indonesia title and the return of the trophy Sriwijaya FC snatched away in 2007.
M. Taufan, Arema’s assistant manager, said on Friday that reclaiming the trophy was the goal of everyone at the “Singo Edan” — the club’s nickname meaning “the Crazy Lions” in Javanese. He expects every component of the team to play its part in bringing back the cup it won in 2005 and 2006.
However, he said the first hurdle was a difficult one. “Although Persibo [Bojonegoro] plays in the First Division, its football strength is on a par with the teams in the Indonesia Super League,” he said.
Arema and Persibo begin their two-legged tie today at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Kepanjen, Malang, before switching to the Wilis Stadium in Madiun on Wednesday for the second leg.
Arema coach Gusnul Yakin said he was optimistic the Singo Edan, featuring 19 local players and three foreigners, could bring back the trophy this year.
“We have to think hard to find a substitute partner for Emalue Serge from the strikers, after Emile Betrand Mbamba was banned from playing in Indonesia for five years,” he said.
The disciplinary committee of the Indonesian Football Association, or PSSI, banned Mbamba for five years and fined him Rp 60 million ($4,980) after he was found guilty of provoking a riot during Arema’s match against PKT Bontang on Sept. 13.
Arema can currently call on Serge and two local players, I Komang Mariaman and Ali Usman. Besides the forward line, Gusnul also has to find replacements for midfielder Arif Suyono and left back Fandy Mochtar, who are currently with the Indonesian national team in Burma.
In the interest of security, Arema supporters, known as Aremania, will be frisked for anything that could be used as a weapon ahead of the first leg. M. Muchlis, chief of the organizing committee for Arema matches, said the committee would deploy more than 900 policemen, army and security volunteers to search spectators.
“We will frisk supporters’ belongings for knives, bottles of alcohol or firecrackers, and we will also ask the stadium officials to clear the stadium of stones,” he said.
He also said he wished the Aremania would be able to control their emotions and behave regardless of what happened on the field, avoiding a repeat of the Arema-PKT incident. Part of the punishment from the incident was the banning of Arema supporters from the stadium if they wear Arema or Aremania clothing, and Muchlis said that sanction would be in effect until next year.
Prices for the match will be Rp 5,000 (40 cents) less than regular Indonesian Super League tickets, with economy tickets costing Rp 10,000.
“We are sure that thousands of supporters will flood the Kanjuruhan Stadium, which has a capacity of more than 40,000, because the Arema fans have not been able to watch and support their Singo Edan team for quite some time,” Muchlis said.
Arema Malang has its sights set on a third Copa Indonesia title and the return of the trophy Sriwijaya FC snatched away in 2007.
M. Taufan, Arema’s assistant manager, said on Friday that reclaiming the trophy was the goal of everyone at the “Singo Edan” — the club’s nickname meaning “the Crazy Lions” in Javanese. He expects every component of the team to play its part in bringing back the cup it won in 2005 and 2006.
However, he said the first hurdle was a difficult one. “Although Persibo [Bojonegoro] plays in the First Division, its football strength is on a par with the teams in the Indonesia Super League,” he said.
Arema and Persibo begin their two-legged tie today at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Kepanjen, Malang, before switching to the Wilis Stadium in Madiun on Wednesday for the second leg.
Arema coach Gusnul Yakin said he was optimistic the Singo Edan, featuring 19 local players and three foreigners, could bring back the trophy this year.
“We have to think hard to find a substitute partner for Emalue Serge from the strikers, after Emile Betrand Mbamba was banned from playing in Indonesia for five years,” he said.
The disciplinary committee of the Indonesian Football Association, or PSSI, banned Mbamba for five years and fined him Rp 60 million ($4,980) after he was found guilty of provoking a riot during Arema’s match against PKT Bontang on Sept. 13.
Arema can currently call on Serge and two local players, I Komang Mariaman and Ali Usman. Besides the forward line, Gusnul also has to find replacements for midfielder Arif Suyono and left back Fandy Mochtar, who are currently with the Indonesian national team in Burma.
In the interest of security, Arema supporters, known as Aremania, will be frisked for anything that could be used as a weapon ahead of the first leg. M. Muchlis, chief of the organizing committee for Arema matches, said the committee would deploy more than 900 policemen, army and security volunteers to search spectators.
“We will frisk supporters’ belongings for knives, bottles of alcohol or firecrackers, and we will also ask the stadium officials to clear the stadium of stones,” he said.
He also said he wished the Aremania would be able to control their emotions and behave regardless of what happened on the field, avoiding a repeat of the Arema-PKT incident. Part of the punishment from the incident was the banning of Arema supporters from the stadium if they wear Arema or Aremania clothing, and Muchlis said that sanction would be in effect until next year.
Prices for the match will be Rp 5,000 (40 cents) less than regular Indonesian Super League tickets, with economy tickets costing Rp 10,000.
“We are sure that thousands of supporters will flood the Kanjuruhan Stadium, which has a capacity of more than 40,000, because the Arema fans have not been able to watch and support their Singo Edan team for quite some time,” Muchlis said.
# posted by Me @ 6:01 AM 
