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Monday, September 30, 2013

 

Weekend Results

Malaysia Cup

Pahang v PKNS 3-2 (Matias Ruben Conti 3; Patrick Ronaldhino, Abu Hassan)
LionsXII v ATM 1-0 (Madhu Mohana)
Johor Darul Takzim v Kelantan 4-2 (Jasazrin Jamaluddin, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Safiq Rahim, Leonel Nunez; Indra Putra Mahayuddin, Obinna Nwaneri)
Sime Darby v Sarawak 0-0

You gotta say each tie seems nicely balanced for the second leg later this week. Even Kelantan's defeat at Johor won't seem insurmountable in front of their own fanatic support in the north east.

Menpora Cup

Arema v Central Coast Mariners 2-1 (Keith Kayamba Gumbs 2; Marco Flores)

SLeague

Young Lions v DPMM 2-3 (Raihan Rahman, Sherif El Masri; Hendra Idris, Shah Said, Rodrigo Tosi)

Indonesia Premier League

PSIR v Arema 1-0 (Cristian Lenglolo)
Semen Padang v PSM 2-1 (Nur Iskander, Vendry Mofu; Qifli Tamara)
Pro Duta v Perseman 3-0 (Rahmat Hidayat, Arif Sajali, Ghozali Siregar)
PSLS v Persebaya 1-1 (Hendra Saputra; Fernando Soler)
Persiraja v Bontang 3-0 (Angga Peranda, Septi Heriansyah, Erik Saputra)

1 - Semen Padang 17 4 2 1 48-7 44
2 - Pro Duta 20 12 4 4 38-11 40
3 - Perseman 20 12 3 5 39-15 39

Stories over the weekend suggesting clubs want to end the IPL soon as the PSSI declared the IPL governing body was incompetent!

Friday, September 27, 2013

 

Perak React To Match Fixing Suspicions

A Malaysian football club suspended all of its coaches and officials for two weeks Monday over suspected match-fixing following a series of heavy defeats, reports said.
The suspicions swirling around Perak FA, which represents the state of Perak in the top-tier Malaysian Super League, are the latest in a string of corruption allegations to taint the sport in the football-mad country.
National news agency Bernama said state football authorities in Perak planned to lodge reports with police and anti-graft authorities after a run of three losses including a 6-1 drubbing on Saturday.
Deputy president Khairul Azwan Harun told reporters the Perak Football Association (PAFA), which fields the team, had also launched their own internal inquiry to investigate what happened.
The side's poor performance saw it crash out of contention for the Malaysia Cup despite earlier leading its group.
"They are given two weeks to carry out the investigation and report the findings to PAFA's main executive committee," Khairul Azwan was quoted as saying at a press conference.
All coaches and officials will be required to report to PAFA every day during the suspension period while players would continue to train but make themselves available to investigations.
Malaysian football has repeatedly been stained by match-fixing scandals.
In 1994, a nationwide clampdown saw 21 players and coaches sacked while 58 players were suspended.
Last year the Football Association of Malaysia suspended 18 youth players and banned a coach for life for fixing matches.
Early this year it was revealed that hundreds of matches worldwide, including European Champions League games, had been targeted by Asian-linked gangs.
According to Europol, 380 suspicious games have been identified in Europe and the European police agency linked the problem to a criminal syndicate based in Singapore, which borders Malaysia.


 

Semen Padang v East Bengal

After losing narrowly in Kolkata to East Bengal 1-0, Semen Padang went into the second leg of their AFC Cup Quarter Final at home full of confidence.

However, in a game of two forced substitutions it was not to be as the West Sumatran side were unable to hold on to an early lead after despite having lots of pressure and chances, in an exciting second half they were unable to break down the visitors' rear guard and with the game ending 1-1 the Red Buffalos exit the AFC Cup with their heads held high and their limitations all to evident.

On a sultry afternoon it wasn't a game for goalkeepers. East Bengal's, Gurpreet Singh, made a hash of clearance, the ball fell at the feet of Liberian striker Edward Wilson Junior who controlled well and surged into the box, brushing aside the challenges and finishing emphatically.

With 28 goals in all competitions, the long serving Wilson, five years with Semen Padang counts as a long time in the short term world of Indonesian football, has almost single handedly led the team's assault on honours. And while their lead at the top of the Indonesia Premier League maybe tarnished by the questionable quality and attitude of the of the other teams, their performances in Asian club competition have been exemplary.

And Wilson has been at the heart of that cup run. So when he was substituted just seconds into the second half there must have been a degree of apprehension among the home support. The striker has become as iconic as the local food and the traditionally pointed roof architecture. And Semen Padang without Wilson are not the full monty.

Admittedly the team can call upon the likes of Titus Bonai, Nur Iskandar, Esteban Vizcarra and Vendry Mofu while the experienced Elie Aiboy, the right wing elder statesman, are all capable on their day of pulling a result out of the bag.

With the big player gone, coach Jafri Sastrak, would be entitled to expect big performaces from the other players. But on the day, cometh the hour, no one was able to fill the big man's boots.

Titus Bonai, a star at last year's SEA Games, tried gamefully as did Mofu, but perhaps they tried too hard. Whereas Wilson is power and pace but can hold the ball up well, Bonai, nicknamed Tibo, and Mofu, have pace to burn but lack the Liberian's upper body strength and awareness.

Time after time Semen Padang found themselves in good positions only for the final ball to go astray or a wayward shot to bring on the fans' groans.

Contrast with East Bengal who saw Japanese attacking midfielder Ryuji Sueoka go off in the first half. They brought on James Moga and it was Moga in the second half who broke Minang hearts with a powerful far post header that levelled the scores on the day but put East Bengal ahead 2-1 on aggregate.

It was Sueoka who gave East Bengal the 1-0 first leg lead. He gets injured and subsititue Moga comes and puts his team into the semi final for the first time in their history. The loss of Wilson was perhaps the pivotal momet of the game with coach Sastrak admitting as much after the game when he referred to 'some of the confidence' draining from his players.

However, he couldn't fault his team's effort and indeed there were some stellar perfoamces from the likes of David Pagbe at the back and the tigerish Yu Hyunkoo putting his foot, body and head on the line for his team.

At the end it wasn't enough. Semen Padang had done Indonesia proud just days after the national Under 19 team had won the ASEAN Cup but there was to be no double celebration in West Sumatra.

With the excitment of Asian club competition behind them, they can now go on and concentrate on the IPL which they are sure to win at a canter. Next season will probably see them back in a reorganised top flight but it remains to be seen how this team will compare against the likes of Persipura Jayapura and Sriwijaya Palembang.


After the game, as the two teams exchanged pleasantries in the middle of the field a few fans halfheartedly threw plastic water bottles at the police guarding the perimeter fencing but their aim, like their team's, was off.

SOURCE - A slightly different version appeared in the Jakarta Globe

Thursday, September 26, 2013

 

Sriwijaya's Search For A Coach

After last season's disappointment, Sriwijaya have started planning early for next season which, I can exclusively reveal, will not start this week.

Sriwijaya finished 5th in the last campaign, a whopping 25 points behind champions Persipura. They even managed a negative goal difference, losing four of their last five games.

A failure for the team from Palembang who have been one of the major forces in the game in recent years.

Since winning the Liga Indonesia and Indonesia Cup double in 2008, they have gone on to lift the Indonesia Super League, the Cup in two more occasions, the Community Shield and the pre season Inter Island Cup twice.

Intererstingly, the names in the mix, at the moment at least, are all Indonesian.

Kas Hartadi, Subangkit, Salahuddin and Widodo C Putra.

 

Kelantan Enter Vietnamese Comp?

Kelantan have been invited to the annual Binh Duong Television Cup in Vietnam.

They join local sides Binh Duong, Ha Noi, Tanh Hoa and Vietnam U23 while Kawasaki Frontale, Bangu AC (Brazil) and a bunch of Korean students make up the rest of the roster.

The competition runs from 25/10 to 3/11.

Funny thing is Kelantan are still in the Malaysia Cup and could be involved in semi finals and the final during the Vietnam competition.



 

Liberians In Demand. And Not

Persipura's silky midfielder, Zah Rahan, has announced he wants to try his luck in Malaysia. After several years in Indonesia where he has won titles, cups and the player of the year award Rahan has impressed many with his talent.

No news yet of which team in Malaysia that I have found but mention has been made of Johor Darul Takzim, the big spending team who recently snapped up Pablo Aimar for next season.

Another long term Liberian who has been targeted by a foreign team is Edward Wilson Junior of Semen Padang. He has been linked with a move to Mohan Bagun in India.

Wilson was injured on Tuesday playing against East Bengal, Mohan's city rivals, in the AFC Cup.

Meanwhile after a disappointing season by their standards, Sriwijaya have released four of their foreigners including two Liberians. Eric Weeks Lewis and Boakay Eddie Foday have  been told they are surplus to requirements as the team from Palembang look to start afresh next season.

 

Persema The Nearly Non Existant

I've written about Persema a few times on here. From being the distant second team in Malang to the glamour boys of the new, at the time, Indonesia Premier League, back to second team in Malang and now.

Now, they face anonymity.

Having been kicked out of the IPL for failing to fulfil games, the club seem to have decided their destiny lies in Division Three which is so far down the pryamid of Indonesian football it is almost underground.

They aren't the first team to knock things on the head for a while.

In my first season watching the game here, Persekabpas, Persma and Persibom featured prominently. Now, they seem to have disappeared.

Closer to home, Persikota sat out the last season.

We will see Persema back in the top flight? They need money. Regulations say clubs must be self financing, no longer can they run to the local government. The rule has been a round a while but has been unevenly applied.

But Persema, living in Arema's shadow, will fail to make much of an impression in Malang.

Most cities in Indonesia have two teams but very few have real cross city rivalries with perhaps the Tangerang pairing of Persita and Persikota perhaps the only ones breaking that particular mould.

Certainly cities like Bandung, Medan, Makassar and Palembang struggle to spread support around more than one team and with many supporters choosing teams along ethnic lines it does seem unlikely Tangerang will be replicated any time soon.



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

 

Indonesia Squad v Timor Leste

With Indonesian players involved in the Menpora Cup and the Islamic Solidarity Games a few unfamiliar names have been called up by Jacksen F Tiago for the friendly against Timor Leste on Sunday in Surabaya.

Goalkeepers: Choirul Huda (Persela Lamongan), I Made Wirawan (Persib Bandung), Dian Agus Prasetyo (Barito Putra)

Defenders: Yustinus Pae (Persipura), Ruben Sanadi (Persipura), Slamet Nur Cahyono (Persiba Bantul), Raphael Maitimo (Mitra Kukar), M Robby (Persisam Samarinda), Firdaus Ramadhan (Persita Tangerang), Fachruddin (Persepam Madura United).

Midfield: Ahmad Bustomi (Mitra Kukar), Vendri Mofu (Semen Padang), Titus Bonay (Semen Padang), Zulham Zamrun (Mitra Kukar), Imanuel Wanggai (Persipura Jayapura), Toni Sucipto (Persib Bandung).

Strikers: Boaz Solossa (Persipura Jayapura), Patrick Wanggai (Persipura Jayapura), Sergio Van Dijk (Persib Bandung)

Monday, September 23, 2013

 

Indonesia Host AFC Under 19 Qualifying

08/10 South Korea v Philippines
08/10 Indonesia v Laos

10/10 Laos v South Korea
10/10 Philippines v Indonesia

12/10 Laos v Philippines
12/10 Indonesia v South Korea

Games to be held at Delta Stadium in Sidoarjo. Let's hope they can manage the ticket sales a bit better this time!

 

Indonesia Lift AFF Under 19 Champonship

The day had started ominously. Fans, queuing for tickets long since sold out, attacked ticket booths at the Delta Stadium in Sidoarjo, setting fire to them. Accusing officials of selling tickets to scalpers, who seemed to have plenty, they turned on the touts and things were getting pretty ugly for a while before police stepped in to protect the touts.

And this was several hours before the game was due to kick off!

Passions were high in the country. Indonesia had won nothing of note for so long no could remember. There was a Merdeka Cup triumph a few years back but that was a hollow victory. Trailing 1-0 at half time one of the Indonesian coaching staff had lamped the Libyan coach in the tunnel.

The Libyan team refused to come out for the second half, Indonesia were awarded the game and the players, not showing any pangs of guilt or embarrassment, celebrated like they had won the World Cup.

Too often, Indonesia have croaked when near the finish line.

In the ASEAN Cup in Malaysia in 2010, Indonesia allowed themselves to be distracted by lasers from the crowd. They pouted and sulked, Malaysia cruised to a 3-0 win setting the basis for their first ever success in the trophy.

Then there was the SEA Games in Jakarta. The final again against rivals Malaysia. Penalties. Indonesia bottled it. Their last spot kick,you could see the nerves etched on the player's face as he walked from the centre circle to take his kick in front of 100,000 baying fans. He missed as we knew he would. The Malaysian didn't.

History repeated in the AFF U16s hosted in Myanmer earlier this year. Indonesia reached the final. They met Malaysia and Malaysia won on penalties. Think England v Germany, Malaysia, a cultural kindred spirit yet political foe at times, seemed to have the hex over their bigger neighbour.

Sidoarjo was a chance to put all that behind them. 35,000 fans did get tickets and filed to the stadium feeling confident. Perhaps because they were playing Vietnam in the final and not that lot from across the Melaka Straits.

Indonesia played with pace and yes, some skill. But they also played with emotion. Given the simple option they would go for the spectacular which of course the crowd would love and the players would feed off the noise.

It went to penalties and, this time, Indonesia were able to lift a trophy after years of drought.

How much of this success can be put down to the ongoing Uruguayan project is unclear.  Likewise, it is too early to tell if this is a change in fortunes for the national team in regional competition. Winning on penalties at home may have been nerve wracking but the real test in this part of the world comes when you play away.

Those questions can be answered later. For now Indonesia is toasting the team that finally lifted some silverware!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

 

West Java Teams Battle For Final ISL Spot

This afternoon sees the curtain come down on the Indonesia Super League when two West Java teams, Persikabo and Pelita Bandung meet in the final play off.

Persikabo, who finished fourth in the recent play offs held at Manahan Stadium in Solo, won't be relishing another trip to Central Java to play their provincial neighbours; they lost 4-1 to Persebaya and 6-2 to Persik on their last trip there.

Ideally the game should be playd in West Java, and Jalak Harupat springs to mind, or even Siliwangi Stadium in Bandung, but with an international friendly tournament under way in Bandung, the Menpora Cup, I guess no one can handle more than one thing at a time.

Both teams boast experienced players. Pelita Bandung Raya have the likes of Mijo Dadic, Miljan Radovic, Nova Arianto and Gaston Castano in their ranks as well as one time Persib legend Eka Ramdhani and Leo Tupamahu.

Meanwhile Persikabo, who play in Cibinong and not Bogor, can call on the likes of Alejandro Tobar, Julio Lopez, Cristiano Lopes, Mosapha Aji and former international Aliyuddin.

It promises to be an exciting clash and while it will be seen on TV it is a shame there waon't be that many fans in the stadium.

 

Malaysia Cup Quarter Final Draw

27/09 LionsX!! v ATM
27/09 Pahang v PKNS

28/09 Johor Darul Takzim v Kelantan
28/09 Sime Darby v Sarawak

04/10 ATM v LionsXII
04/10 PKNS v Pahang

05/10 Kelantan v Johor Darul Takzim
05/10 Sarawak v Sime Darby

2012 Kelantan v ATM 3-2
2011 Negeri Sembilan v Terengganu 2-1
2010 Kelantan v Negeri Sembilan 2-1
2009 Negeri Sembilan v Kelantan 3-1

32 - Selangor
24 - Singapore
7 - Perak
4 - Penang, Kedah


 

Results 21/9

Indonesia Premier League

Perseman v PSLS 4-0
PSM v Persiraja 3-0
Persebaya v Pro Duta 1-3
Persiba v Persepar 4-2

1 - Semen Padang 16 13 2 1 46-6 41
2 - Perseman 19 12 3 4 39-12 39
3 - Pro Duta 19 11 4 4 35-11 37
4 - Persiba 18 2 5 41-18 35

18 - Edward Junior Wilson (Semen Padang)
13 - Carlos Raul Sciucatti (PSLS)
12 - Cristian Lenglolo (PSIR)
11 - Rahmat Hidayat (Pro Duta)

Malaysia Cup

Teams in bold go through to the next round which will be played home and away. I will post the draw soon.

Selangor v Johor 2-1
Sime Darby v ATM 1-1

Johor Darul Takzim v PKNS 0-2
T Team v Felda United 2-1

Kelantan v Pahang 4-0
Negeri Sembilan v Terengganu 2-2

Sarawak v Oerak 6-1
Kedah v LionsXII 1-3


 

The Road To Sidoarjo

Today sees the final of the ASEAN Football Federation Undr 19 final with hosts Indonesia coming up against Vietnam Delta Stadium in Sidoarjon

Officials are expecting a 30,000 plus sell out crowd for the game and any eyes will be on Evan Dimas who has caught the eye for the Indonesian team during the competition.

Hours ahead of the final and fans queuing for tickets for the game turned violent with some setting fire to ticket offices.

Indonesia of course has previous in this. Back in 2011 SEA Games there were similar unruly scenes ahead of the final against Malaysia with ticket offices set fire to and fans killed in crushes outside the stadium.

You would think after organizing events like Asian Cup 07, AFF Cup 08 and 10 and SEA Games 2011 someone, somewhere might have given some thought to how to sell tickets in a safe and secure way but oh no. 

Vietnam v Thailand 3-2
Vietnam v Malaysia 1-0
Vietnam v Indonesia 2-1
Vietnam v Myanmar 3-1
Vietnam v Brunei 6-1

Semi Final 

Vietnam v Laos 1-0

Indonesia v Brunei 5-0
Indonesia v Myanmar 2-1
Indonesia v Vietnam 1-2
Indonesia v Thailand 3-1
Indonesia v Malaysia 1-1

Semi Final

Indonesia v Timor Leste 2-0

Friday, September 20, 2013

 

Warriors Come From Behind To Defeat Albirex Niigata

Balestier Khalsa returned to earth with a thump after their League Cup triumph at the weekend when they were defeated 2-1 at home by Woodlands Wellington.

Jo Yoon Chang, who probably wasn't named after a Thai beer, scored he winner for the visitors to piss pn Balestier's parade six minutes before the end.

Not sure if it's a shock or not but Hougang United defeated Home United 3-0 at Bishan in a game loosely billed as the north eastern derby.

Fazil Jaffar, Mamadou Diallo and Jerome Baker scored for the away team in a game, and I know I'm sticking my neck out here, lacked the passion of a Newcastle v Sunderland north east derby. Or even a Hartlepool United v Gateshead derby.

Tampines Rover, leaders and reigning champions, defeated Tanjong Pagar 3-1 at Jakan Besar (thanks for the correction!) but I have no idea whether that means they are champions this year or not

Seiji Keneko and Jamil Ali scored early doors for the home team. See, I know football speak!

Ramdani Kamel pulled one back for the visitors with a penalty, his 11th goal of the season, before Vitor Laderias calmed home team nerves at the death.

I say home team. Any news on their new stadium in Tampines? Remember all them find words about an integrated hub? Has the hub been integrated yet?

In the other game Warriors, who changed their name from SAFFC hoping to get a sponsor, came from behind, ooer missus, to defeat Albirex Niigata who had taken the lea through, deep breath, Suzukicastanheira Brunojunichi.

Warriors goals came from Sufian Anuer, Mislav Karolgan and Shi Jiayi.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

 

Results 18/9

Indonesia Super League

Persiba v Pelita Bandung Raya 1-0 (Syakir Sulaiman) 5,213
Mitra Kukar v Persija 2-0 (Paolo Frangipini, Ilija Spasojevic) 3,900
Barito Putra v Sriwijaya 6-1 (Djibril Coulibaly 2, Konate Makan, Rizky Ridal, Amirul, Septariyanto; Herman Dzumafo) 6,959
Persisam v PSPS 6-1 (Lancine Kone 2, Pong Baru 2, Radiansyah, Fajar Siswanto; Afrizal) 2,851
Persiwa v Persita 2-3 (Yesaya Desnam, Yopen Wandibo; Cristian Carrasco 3) 103

Well, that's it. The Indonesia Super League done and dusted for another season and a season that was well and truly dominated by Persipura.

In the final round of fixtures Pelita Bandung Raya were confirmed as playing Persikabo for the final place in the ISL next season after losing to Persiba. The play off between the two West Java rivals will take place in Solo.

Sriwijaya ended the season limply. two big defeats in Kalimantan saw them finish up with a negative goal difference and you can imagine there will be some clear out in Palembang ahead of next season.

Barito Putra have been a surprise this season. Newly promoted, they were tough to break down at home and in Coulibaly and Yongko Aribowo boasted a decent strike force.

PSPS ended with another thrashing. You gotta feel sorry for the players and coach. Everyone it seems had given up on them but they carried on even though no one gave a shit. And at least they were able to score a goal or two but it has been a depressing end and god knows what will happen to them next season.

24 - Boas Solossa (Persipura)
21 - Djibril Coulibaly (Barito Putra), Segio Van Dijk (Persib)
19 - Lancine Kone (Persisam)
18 - Cristian Gonzales (Arema)

Malaysia Cup

LionsXII v Sarawak 1-0 (Fazrul Nawaz)

ASEAN Cup U19

Brunei v Vietnam 1-6
Indonesia v Malaysia 1-1
Thailand v Myanmar 4-4

SLeague

Geyland United v Young Lions 0-1(Serif El Masri)
DPMM v Harimau Muda 3-1 (Rodrigo Antonio 2, Abdul Tamit; Alami Ishak)





 

Match Fixers Arrested In Singapore

Police in Singapore have arrested 14 people believed to be part of an organised crime gang involved in global football match-fixing.

The 12 men and two women were detained during a series of raids, European and Singaporean officials said.

Police said those arrested include the alleged "mastermind" but did not release any names.
Between 2008 and 2011, investigators said they had identified 680 suspicious games, 380 of them in Europe.

The matches included World Cup qualifiers and the European Champions league.

European officials said the matches had been targeted by a Singapore-based betting cartel whose illegal activities stretched to players, referees and officials across the world.

Police did not give the nationalities of those arrested. They said that five - including the suspected leader - were being held for further questioning while the rest would be released on bail.

"Police confirm that the suspected leader and several other individuals who are the subject of ongoing investigations in other jurisdictions for match fixing were among the persons arrested," said a joint statement by Singapore police agencies on Wednesday.

"The arrested persons are being investigated for offences related to match fixing activities under the Prevention of Corruption Act (Chapter 241) and for their involvement in organised crime activities," the statement said.

Police did not confirm whether Dan Tan, a Singapore resident wanted for alleged match-fixing in Italy and Hungary, was amongst those arrested. 

Interpol and the EU law enforcement agency Europol have both been involved in the investigation.

Following the arrests, Interpol Secretary General Ronald K Noble said: "Singaporean authorities have taken an important step in cracking down on an international match-fixing syndicate by arresting the main suspects in the case, including the suspected mastermind.''

SOURCE - BBC News

 

LionsXII Triumph But Must Be Wary Of Kedah Time

Odd I know but I was more interested in the result from Jalan Besar last night than any Champions League stuff apart from Marseille of course.

And for good reason.

Fazrul Nawaz goal in the second half gave LionsXII their second win after a woeful start and now puts them on the verge of qualifying to the knock out stage of the historic Malaysia Cup.

All they have to do is travel to Alor Setar and beat Kedah!

Problem is, three of Kedah's four goals have come in injury time including their winner in Ipoh from Nelson San Martin.

Forget Fergie Time. Waktu Kedah anyone?

1 - Sarawak 5 2 1 2 7-4 7
2 - Lions XII 5 2 1 2 6-6 7
3 - Perak 5 2 1 2 4-5 7
4 - Kedah - 5 1 3 1 4-7 6

 

Semen Padang Hang On In AFC Cup

Semen Padang continue to fly the flag for South East Asia after they narrowly lost 1-0 in Kolkota against East Bengal in front of 30,000.

The home team had to graft for their win, waiting until the 70th minute for Japanese striker Ryuji Sueoka, once of Albirex Niigata, Geylang United, Balestier Khalsa and Bangkok United) to settle the tie on the night.

It's the narrowest of margins for East Bengal to take to Padang next week and you can't help feeling coach Jafri Sastrak would have taken this result before the game.

In other ties New Radiant from the Maldives were thrashed 7-2 in Male by a Kuwait team while Kitchee lost 2-1 at home to a team from Jordan.

Second legs next week.

 

Last Weekend's Wrap

Indonesia’s second tier Divisi Utama took centre stage of the weekend with the play offs to decide the champions and runners up.

Persebaya Surabaya met Perseru Serui in the final played at the Manahan Stadium in Solo, Central Java, and triumphed 2-0 with a brace from JP Boumsong giving him an impressive tally of 18 goals for the season. 

Both teams earned promotion though it was Persebaya who lifted the trophy in front of their 10,000 travelling fans.

In the other game Persik Kediri defeated Persikabo Bogor 6-2 to join Persebaya and Perseru in the Indonesia Super League while Persikabo must jump one more hurdle, a further play off against the 15th placed team in the ISL.

Meanwhile, in the ISL itself Persipura Jayapura had long since snapped up the title for the third time in five years; the other two campaigns had seen the Black Pearls finish runners up.

In their second last game of the season Persipura effortlessly brushed aside Persita Tangerang 4-0.

With Arema Indonesia securing second place in the league all eyes were on the foot of the table for more ghoulish reasons.

PSPS Pekanbaru have been truly woeful in the second half of the capmpaign. With relegation confirmed all they had to play for was pride but there has been precious little of that. Their 8-2 crushing away to Mitra Kukar Kutai Kartanegara, for who former PSM Makassar striker ljia Spasojevic hit five, was their 10th straight defeat on the bounce. A run that has seen them concede 52 goals.

Not to long ago, Persiwa Wamena were invincible at their Pendidikan Stadium in the Papuan Highlands. 

Before last May just two teams had gone into the Wamena Valley and returned with three points in five years. Since then they have lost six of their last nine home games, earning themselves relegation in the process and seeing the fans desert them; their 3-2 defeat at home to Persib Bandung was witnessed by less than a 1,000 souls.

Another Papuan side, Persidafon Dafonsoro are also relegated leaving Pelita Bandung Raya and Persita sweating over a play off date with Persikabo.
Pelita Bandung Raya’s last game is away to Persiba Balikpapan who have only just secured their own ISL status following their 4-2 win over Sriwijaya Palembang, while Persita must face Persiwa in their final game of the season.
Given Persiwa’s hapless end to the season, and the luxury of a one point cushion over PBR, Persita will fancy themselves slight favourites to stay up but stranger things have been known to happen in Indonesian football.

Strange things happening in Singapore as well with unfancied Balestier Khalsa lifting the League Cup after defeating Brunei side DPMM 4-0.

New Zealand striker Paul Cunningham opened the scoring on 13 minutes before Min Oh Kim made it 2-0 on 34 minutes. Two more goals in the second half, by Poh Yi Peng and Teuku Mushadad ended Balestier Khalsa’s trophy drought.

After the game their Australian coach, Darren Stewart, credited his team’s performance describing their performance as ‘breathtaking’.

North of the Causeway in Malaysian state of Pahang, the Malaysian Under 23 team lifted the Merdeka Cup, defeating Myanmar Under 23 2-0 in the final.

Their reward is a trip to Bandung, West Java, where they will be lining up against local heroes Persib, Sriwijaya and A League team Central Coast Mariners for the Menpora Cup.

Malaysia Under 23, also known as Harimau Muda ‘A’, there is a B and a C as well, have spent much of 2013 playing club sides Slovakia as they seek to defend the South East Asian Games title they won in 2009 and 2011.

COMMENT - apologies for the delay, cock up on the publishing front!




Wednesday, September 18, 2013

 

Crunch Time In Malaysia Cup

Just imagine there were some pigeons over there. By that large tree. If there were some pigeons and I had a big, fluffy pussy cat then LionsXII beating Sarawak tonight at Jalan Besar would be the same as me taking my big, fluffy, pussy cat and putting it among the pigeons.

A look at the table tells why I am beginning this post with waffle about animals. Kedah's win at Perak last night meant a second straight defeat for the team from Ipoh putting them now in a tough position and catapaulting Kedah back into the equation.

A victory for Lions tonight would move them up to second and have three teams on seven points going into the final game.One point could separate the four teams going into this weekend's final games...exciting stuff eh?

1 - Sarawak 4 2 1 1 7-3 7
2 - Perak 5 2 1 1 4-5 7
3 - Kedah 5 1 3 1 4-7 6
4 - LionsXII 4 1 1 2 5-6 4

More excitement in Pahang's group as they share top spot with Kelantant with Negeri Sembilan still in the mix a point behind. Terengganu's hopes of going through ended with their 3-1 defeat at home to neighbours Kelantan last night.

Saturday sees Pahang play Kelantan in Kota Bahru while Negeri Sembilan host Terengganu. Do the maths. Kelantan and Pahang certainly won't be a dead rubber.

1 - Pahang 5 2 2 1 11-7 8
2 - Kelantan 5 2 2 1 9-6 8
3 - Negeri Sembilan 5 2 1 2 9-11 7
4 - Terengganu 5 1 1 3 4-9 4

Just one team has qualified so far for the knock out stage; PKNS. Big spending Johor Darul Takzim host PKNS on Saturday knowing they need three points to guarantee their own place in the next round while T Team know their destiny is out of their hands.

1 PKNS 5 4 0 1 10-1 12
2 Johor Darul Takzim 5 3 0 2 10-8 9
3 T-Team 5 2 0 3 5-10 6
4 Felda United 5 1 0 4 3-9 3

Mighty Selangor are out leaving the supposed minnows of Johor, ATM and Sime Darby to battle it out for the two qualifying places.

While Selangor may not be the power they once were, Johor won't fancy going there knowing they must win to go through to the next round. Instead ATM and Sime Darby face off and given their superior goal differences they know a draw should be enough to see both go through.


1 ATM 5 2 2 1 14-11 8
2 Sime Darby 5 2 2 1 11-8 8
3 Johor 5 1 3 1 8-10 6
4 Selangor 5 0 3 2 4-8 3

All in all it promises to be an exciting final round of group stage games on Saturday

Friday, September 13, 2013

 

Pablo Aimar To Be Unveiled At Johor DT

JOHOR BARU: Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) are set to unveil their latest big-name signing – former Argentinian international Pablo Aimar – at the Larkin Stadium on Saturday.
The 34-year-old, who spent most of his career in Europe with clubs like Valencia, Real Zaragoza and Benfica, is set to sign a contract with the Southern Tigers.
Aimar is no stranger to Larkin Stadium, having played here once during the 1997 World Youth Cup which Malaysia hosted.
He played in the quarter-finals against England and scored a goal. He went on to help Argentina win the tournament.
The Johor FA expect a big crowd to gather at the stadium during the unveiling of Aimar, who will be the biggest foreign player to play in Malaysia.
Aimar began his career with River Plate in 1995 before moving to Spain, where he joined Valencia (2001-2006) and then Real Zaragoza (2006-2008).
He then left for Portugal to sign with Benfica in 2008 before leaving the club last year. He also played for Argentina in the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2006.
Aimar’s arrival is a clear show of intent by Johor FA president Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim to strengthen JDT’s bid for next season.
Aimar had made a surprise visit to Johor on July 21 at the the invitation of Tunku Ismail, who has promised Johor fans that he would make JDT a powerhouse next season.
He has also hired Cesar Ferrando Jimenez as the new manager, Andres Tevar as the tactical coach and also signed new Spanish striker Braulio Nobrega Rodriguez last month.

 

Noh Alam Shah

It is hard to imagine a character like Noh Alam Shah, the former Singapore international striker who has played for, among others, Tampines Rovers, Arema, Persib and PSS, falling off the football map but that is what seems to have happened.

On a recent trip back to Singapore I asked around but nobody seemed to have a scooby where he had gone.

He is though still in Indonesia playing in Divisi Utama of the IPL for Persekap Pasuaran. And, as the fates would have it, last we he came up against PSS, one of his former clubs.

Persekap lost 3-1 but Noh Alam Shah did get on the score sheet for his new club who currently sit second in the table just behind...PSS.

NAS completed his fine scoring start in Persekap's next game, away to Persibangga. They won 5-0 and NAS  getting two.

 

Adrian Dhanaraj RIP

Adrian Dhanaraj wearing the Geylang green
SINGAPORE — The football fraternity rallied behind Adrian Dhanaraj when it was announced last year that the Gombak United player had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Yesterday, news came through that Dhanaraj had lost his battle with the blood cancer on Wednesday night. He turned 29 last Tuesday.
It also emerged that the footballer had married his girlfriend of two years Malvina Tan, 24, a day before his passing. They had planned to tie the knot next year.
Said his mother, Sulojani Dhanaraj: “Adrian told me he wanted to get married right after he got discharged from the hospital … but we knew the end was close, and we fulfilled his wish.”
Remembered for his hard tackles on the pitch and his fighting spirit, Dhanaraj was diagnosed last September with stage two of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. By then, the Gombak United player — he also played for Geylang United, SAFFC and the Young Lions in the S-League and was adept in defence and midfield — had twice been called up to the national team by Radojko Avramovic, earning his caps against Vietnam and North Korea in the 2010 Vietnam Football Federation Cup.
Dhanaraj’s passing was greeted with dismay as news of it spread quickly on social media platforms.
Posting on Facebook, former international R Sasikumar said: “His attitude and respect for people is something I have never seen in local football. My heart aches thinking about it.”
Current national defender Baihakki Khaizan posted on Twitter and Instagram: “A true professional who doesn’t believe in the word ‘Giving Up’… Rest In Peace Adrian Dhanaraj 1984-2013”

 

Recent Results

Indonesia Super League

Persidafon v Arema 1-2 (Anis Nabar; Greg Nwokolo, Cristian Gonzales) 4,365
Persiram v Gresik United 0-0 579
Persipura v Persib 1-0 (Yustinus Pae) 20,536

AFF Under 19

Singapore v Philippines 3-1
Cambodia v Laos 1-3

Vietnam v Malaysia 1-0
Myanmar v Indonesia 1-2
Thailand v Brunei 8-0

Merdeka Cup

Malaysia U23 v Group of Thai players 3-0
Myanmar U23 v Singapore U23 2-0

Singapore League Cup

Albirex Niigata v Balestier Khalsa 0-1 (Park Kang Jin)
Woodlands Wellington v DPMM 0-1 (Hendra Azam Idris)

Indonesia Premier League

Persiraja v Arema 5-1
Persijap v Semen Padang 2-2
PSLS v Persiba 2-2
PSIR v Perseman 1-0
Persepar v Persebaya 3-2





Wednesday, September 11, 2013

 

International Results

Friendlies

China v Malaysia 2-0 (Match Report)
Hong Kong v Singapore 1-0 (Match Report)

AFF Under 19

Indonesia v Brunei 5-0
Vietnam v Thailand 3-2
Malaysia v Myanmar 1-1





Tuesday, September 10, 2013

 

Age Group Results

Merdeka Cup

Malaysia U23 v Singapore U23 1-0 (Match report)
Myanmar U23 v Group of Thai players 1-1

Group of Thai players v Singapore U23 1-0 (Match report)
Malaysia U23 v Myanmar U23 2-1

Tomorrow sees the final games and I am sure you don't need me to tell you who plays who! If Myanmar beat Singapore then they could go through to the final where they would play Malaysia

AFF U19

Laos v Philippines 3-1
Singapore v Timor Leste 1-1

Opening day yesterday, more games today.



 

DPMM's Sorry Season

DPMM FC still have a chance to salvage their dismal season.

There is still a glimmer of hope for Brunei's only professional team as they have one last shot of silverware as they take on Woodlands Wellington in the semi-finals of the Singapore League Cup today.

Runners-up of the Singapore League (S-League) last season, expectations were high but they won't even finish in the top half of the 12-team table this season and this is their only hope left.

It is the biggest match of the season for the defending champions and it will be a tough outing for them at the Woodlands Stadium in Singapore.

The winner of the encounter will face Balestier Khalsa in the final after a lone goal by Park Kang Jin in the 17th minute was enough to seal victory at the Jurong East Stadium last night.

Woodlands thumped DPMM FC 5-2 in their last meeting despite the latter netting the first two goals at the Jalan Besar Stadium in May.

The Bruneian side have been in a rut almost whole season are coming off a 3-1 loss against Warriors FC in their last Singapore League (S-League) game.

On the other hand, Woodlands were impressive as they came from behind thrice to draw 3-3 against leaders Tampines Rovers.

Rosmin Hj Kamis, the captain of DPMM FC, knows that there is only one outcome needed from the game and that is victory.

"The boys are ready for the match since it is the only chance for us to win a cup this year. We have nothing but to win the game," said Rosmin in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

"We have trained hard the past week so we pray that it will pay off on the field," he added.

"I won't say that we are confident but we will fight hard to reach the final," continued the captain.

Striker Shahrazen Said is focused on the game and is not thinking about anything else.

"The only thing I can say for tomorrow (Tuesday) is that we have to play normally and wait until the final whistle," said Shahrazen.

"We have to avoid making any mistakes against them," he added.

DPMM FC have been struggling in front of goal and will be missing the services of topscorer, Portuguese striker Joao Moreira, who is out with a right arm injury.

Brazilian centreback Tales Ricarte dos Santos has been impressive and found the back of the net in their last four matches with Shahrazen and Arturas Rimkevicius struggling to hit the target.

Woodlands will be banking on their Korean duo of Chang Jo-yoon and Moon Soon-ho to spearhead them on the attacking front.

They have 10 goals each to their name in the League and are aided by Theerawekin Seehawong and Atsushi Shimono at midfield.

The game kicks off at 7.30pm

SOURCE - Brunei Times

Sunday, September 08, 2013

 

Lions Mauled In China

TIANJIN -- China hammered Singapore 6-1 at an international soccer friendly at the Tianjin Olympic Sports Center here on Friday.

Yu Dabao opened the scoring in the 7th minute with an accurate shot after Yang Hao's long pass picked Sun Ke in the penalty area before the latter squared the ball to the left facing an advancing keeper Hassan Sunny.

The guests levelled soon from a clumsy back pass by Yang Hao, which forced central back Zheng Zhi to make a bad touch to assist his rival Shahfiq Ghani.

The hosts then controlled the game with obvious advantage. Yu Dabao put China ahead again with a well-curved shot from the edge of the box on 31 minutes after some dazzling change of one-touch passes.

Midfielder Zhang Xizhe converted an penalty kick before Sun Ke netted home the fourth at the last minutes of the first half.

Both teams made several changes in the second half, substitute Zheng Long scored a brace in the 70th and 85th minute to seal victory for China.

The Chinese team is preparing for the upcoming 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. China are competing with Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Indonesia in Group C, and next will play back-to-back games against Indonesia on Oct. 15 and Nov. 15.

COMMENT -Since three straight defeats against Thailand. Uzbekistan and Netherlands, China are on a tasty unbeaten run with draws against bitter rivals South Korea and Japan along with a win in Australia.

They play Malaysia on Tuesday while Singapore go on to play Hong Kong on the same day.

Indonesia on the other hand have nothing lined up for the international dates the rest of the world seems to have no problem following.

And, of course, they [lau China next month in AFC Asian Cup qualifying.

 

Persebaya And Perseru Triumph

So Persebaya will play Perseru in the final of the Divisi Utama play offs.

Bpth teams have reached next season's Indonesia Super League, it's just a case of deciding who will go up as Divisi Utama champions.

Perseru were trailing 2-1 against Persik before dragging themselves level after 90 minutes. Thirty minutes injury time could not separate the two teams and it was the team from Papua who eventually triumphed on penalties.

In the earlier game Persebaya thumped Persikabo 4-1 to secure their own place in the final which could be, should be held in Solo next weekend.

Persikabo and Persik will meet for the 3/4th place play off with the winning team guaranteeing their place in the ISL.

The loser of that clash will play off against the 15yj placed team in the ISL for the right to play in Indonesia's top flight.

Persebaya have been known as Persebaya DU this season to distinguish themselves from the Persebaya who play in the Indonesia Premier League but next season I think the IPL team will either fold or rebrand themselves because there can only be one Persebaya.

Friday, September 06, 2013

 

LionsXII Heading North

With LionsXII yet to be assured of qualifying from their group in the Malaysis Cup their players are increasingly being targeted by Malaysian clubs.

T Team are reporting Safuwan Baharudin has already inked a deal with them worth $10,000 a month.

Premier League, Malaysia's second tier team, claim they have signed Baihakki Khazian, Safuwan's partner in the Lions defence.

Also in Johor the other club there, Johor Darul Takzim are saying Hariss Harun will be their player next season where he will line up alongside some chap named Pablo Aimar.

And it's not just the players. Lions coach V Sundramorthy is reportedly set to sign for Negeri Sembilan.

I guess this is one unexpected effect of having LionsXII in the Malaysia Super League.

They won the title of course earlier this season and if T Team can afford to have Safuwan on that kind of money, they aren't the biggest supported team in the land, then perhaps some money is starting to flow into the game there after clubs like Kelantan and Terengganu have shifted the balance of power away from the traditional clubs like Selangor.

We can also expect players like Sime Darby's prolific striker Karlo Primorac to attract covetous glances as well when clubs start getting serious about next season.

For now, the focus remains on the Malaysia Cup but certainly alot of noises coming out of Malaysia suggest the club sides there are getting ready to replicate the national team's recent success.

For LionsXII next season they are set to look a very different beast, shorn of their big names. Rumours remain Shahril Ishak could also be on the way out so we can expect to see several of the current Young Lions team make the step up. A team who only recently won their first game of the season!

These are exciting times on the peninsula!



 

Squeaky Bum Time In Race To Escape Drop

PSPS are long gone. The only question for them left is will they concede a 100 goals in the season? Their last two away games are in East Kalimantan, against Mitra Kukar and Persisam. Just seven and the have reached the magic ton in what has been a truly hapless second half of the season.

Persidafon too look to have burnt their bridges. They do have home advantage for their final two games, Arema and Gresik United, but even if they were to win those two and Pelita Bandung Raya lose their final two games they would need cricket scores to climb above them.

Persiwa too seem to have imploded but final home games against Persib and Persita offer the opportunity of saving their skin for another season of ISL but again their goal difference will count against them if Pelita Bandung Raya manage to pick up points.

PBR are three points ahead of Persiwa and currently sit in a play off position should they end the season there. But first they need to negotiate a tricky trip to Kalimantan for their final games, against Barito Putra, who tend not to drop many points at home, and Persiba.

Everything, it seems, hinges on that final game, Persiba v Pelita Bandung Raya. Two wins for Persiwa will threaten Persiba, who have to play Sriwijaya, and even Persita Tangerang who won't relish their final two games against champions Persipura and Persiwa.

The attention most definitely will be on the east of the country for the final round of fixtures; indeed there are no games at all on the islands of Sumatra and Java.

With four teams struggling to get get away from the drop it promises to be a very exciting, nerve wracking end to the season. Expect a few refs to be called Homer!

13 - Persita 32 8 11 13 31-46 35
14 - Persiba 32 8 10 14 37-46 34
15 - Pelita BR 32 7 12 13 43-49 33
16 - Persiwa 32 9 3 20 29-56 30
17 - Persidafon 32 7 6 19 36-63 27
18 - PSPS 32 4 5 23 23-93 17

 

Arema Put Breathing Space Between Them And Persib

Gresik United v Barito Putra 2-0 (Sultan Samma, Shohei Matsunaga) 4,100
Arema v Persiba 2-1 (Keith Kayamba Gumbs, Greg Nwokolo; Patrice Nguenheu) 20,087
Persela v Persiwa 4-0 (Zaenal Arifin 2, Fandi Eko Utono, Jimmy Suparno) 13,700
Persepam v Persipura 0-3 (Ricardo Salempessy 2, Boas Solossa) 11,355

1 - Persipura 32 23 7 2 77-18 76
2 - Arema 32 19 6 7 66-31 63
3 - Persib 32 17 9 6 69-40 60

Arema definitely have the edge of Persib when it comes to the race for second place with two games to go; they boast a better goal difference as well as having that three point cushion.

Persiwa sit third from bottom three points behind 15th placed Pelita Bandung Raya who face two final tricky away games in Kalimantan before ending their season

Thursday, September 05, 2013

 

Coach Rahmad Unhappy With ISG Timing

Indonesia U23 coach Rahmad Darmawan is less than impressed with the timing of the Islamic Solidarity Games to be hosted in Palembang later this month.

Neither am I so I won't be covering them.

The Indonesia Super League ends 15/09 and Arema, Persib, Mitra Kukar, Sriwijaya and Persepam will then be involved in the Menpora Cup hosted in Bandung and Malang.

IPL champions Semen Padang are playing East Bengal on 17/09 and 24/09 in the AFC Cup.

The ISG are slated to start on 17/09 when Indonesia play Kuwait. Don't bother checking the official ISG website, it has games being played in June!

Indonesia have been drawn with Iraq and Kuwait as well as Yemen but when even the wiki page has no information, let alone the official games site, you can be sure others won't be busting a gut to cover this event.

 

IPL Continues As It Ended

Traditionally comedy in this country has been of the slapstick variety...and to an outsider like me of a very unfunny sort.

In recent years there has seen the rise of the stand up comedian, risking all in front of a live audience.

But without doubt the funniest show in town these days is the Indonesia Premier League and its accompanying Divis Utama.

After a two month break the league is back and ready to entertain us with new depths to be plunged.

The first game in the IPL after the break was to be Persiba Bantul v Persebaya. The visitors duly rocked up on the train, as they gleefully told us on twitter, and got ready to play football.

Both teams get on the pitch and everyone waits expectantly. And nothing happens. Security officials had not given permission for the game to go ahead so the players trooped back down the tunnel to the dressing room and a game of cards.

Then we got the news the IPL would be kicking three teams out of the league. Persibo won the Indonesia Cup last year but have been little more than an embarrassment this campaign. The record shows they have played 16 games but they never bothered turning up for 10 of them! They were too tired after their AFC Cup adventures or they had no money or some such other nonsense.

Oh yes, the AFC Cup. Persibo represented Indonesia in Asia's second biggest club competition and played six games. To their credit they did draw one game, 3-3 at home to Hong Kong side Sunray Cave JC Sun Hei.

In the rest they were humiliated. 7-1 and 7-0 in their other two home games plus a spectacular 8-0 in Hong Kong. A 6-1 loss in the Maldives seems almost respectable in that high scoring company.

One of the other teams being kicked out are Persija. By rights they shouldn't even have been allowed in the league, Indonesia already having one Persija but this is, to coin a cliche, Indonesia and anything goes in the whacky world of Indonesian football.

So Persija IPL used the Persija club crest and even boasted, optimistically, they would be using the 88,000 seater Bung Karno Stadium in the heart of Jakarta.

The truth was less glamourous. With no support in their supposed home town, Persija fans had long made it clear they had no interest in the upstarts with the stolen name, they were forced to look elsewhere. 2012 saw them play home games in Madiun, East Java while this season has seen them play on a field in Yogyakarta.

While thousands of real Persija fans have travelled the island of Java following their team, no one bothered with the IPL version.

Not surprisingly they are bottom of the IPL with four points from 15 games and they will not be long lamented by fans in the capital city, Madiun or Yogyakarta.

And finally Esther, we come to Persema. Their story I have often typed up. They are third bottom, often miss games and supposedly are gone.

Bontang must be wondering what they need to do...they actually want to leave the league!

Anyway, coming up to date yesterday saw some more games due to be played.

One wasn't! Arema were scheduled to play Pro Duta, fresh from their European tour. Now, this Arema are not the Arema who regularly draw crowds of 30,000 plus. This lot play at the smaller Gajayana Stadium in front of small crowds, probably a bit more than Persija but you won't need an extra pair of hands. (Incidentally I was promised the attendances for 2012 but never received them. A metaphor for the league taht failed to live up to their own hype of Change The Game.)

Anyway back to the game. It never happened! The ref went on strike because he hadn't been paid for ages! Like I said, who needs slapstick or stand up when you have these clowns?

So, from the opening four IPL games of the second round of fixtures, two were played and two were called off with the players on the pitch!

Now, let's move on to Divisi Utama.

Yesterday Persis hosted PSS Sleman. No love lost between these two rivals. With the game 0-0 at half time PSS didn't bother coming out for the second half so intimidating and febrile was the atmosphere inside the stadium.

Rumours flashed round that up to three fans were killed during the brawls; fortunately there seems to be no truth in that rumour but certainly things seemed to get pretty hairy down there for a while and the trouble spilled over into Sleman itself with reports people there were attacking cars with Yogyakarta number plates.

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

 

ASEAN U19 Chamoionship

The complete draw can be found on ASEAN Football



 

IPL Game Cancelled

The first game of the second half of the Indonesia Premier League was called off...with both teams ready to play!

Persiba Bantul and Persebaya were due to go toe toe at the Sultan Agung Stadium when they were told they could not go ahead because no one had got any security approval!

Three clubs kicked out, another wants to leave and now this.

There are some games scheduled for today but don't hold your breath.

 

Indonesia Heartache As They Lose On Pens To Malaysia. Again!

NAYPYITAW  – Malaysia lifted their first ever crown in the AFF AYA Bank Under-16 Championship this evening when they edged Indonesia 3-2 after sudden death penalties.
The score at the end of regulation was 1-1.
“I have to thank Lim Kim Chon (the former FA of Malaysia Technical Director) for hiring me for this position,” said Malaysian coach S. Balachandran. “But the win was really the effort of the boys as they played real hard for the win.
“They have stuck to the system which has been set and they play attractive attacking football.”
The game between Indonesia and Malaysia was always going to be very close given the history of the two sides. But while the game started strongly, the slight drizzle affected the quality of the passes and then the pace of the game.
Relying more on counter-attacks as the Malaysians pressed hard at the start, it was Indonesia who went ahead in the 28th minute when striker Gatot Wahyudi ran in off a pass from Reksa Maulana to beat two Malaysian defenders as he slipped the ball past keeper Mohd Haziq Nazli.
Malaysia finished the first half with a rifling shot from Muhammad Syazwan Salihin which rocked the crossbar.
COMMENT - a repeat of the SEA Games 2013 Final when Malaysia triumphed over in Indonesia

 

Malaysia Says It's Not All About Foreign Teams

PETALING JAYA: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will come up with a standard operating procedure (SOP) for event promoters bringing in foreign teams to Malaysia.

FAM general-secretary Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin hoped that this would help overcome the “organisational irregularities which have tarnished the image of Malaysian football”.

This follows complaints about the foreign teams’ treatment of local fans and media during their Asian Tours.

It has been reported that the local media have had no access to the foreign teams and that fans were also denied interaction with the teams. 

Another complaint was the last-minute change of venue for the Barcelona-Malaysia friendly last week. 

Hamidin stressed that the SOP would benefit Malaysian football. 

The SOP, he said, would ensure compulsory interview slots for local media and for local coaches to interact with the visiting teams’ coaches.

“We have faced shortcomings involving foreign teams and the implementation of the SOP will ensure a smooth running of such events,” said Hamidin yesterday.

“In future, the media, technical and security aspects of such events will be handled or overseen by us directly. In the past, we were not directly involved but still ended up taking the rap for the organisers’ blunders. So, these measures will ensure there will be no more such hiccups. 

“We also feel that we are not getting much benefit from the foreign teams visiting here and we plan to impose several measures that will benefit our football and the local media.”

 

Semen Padang Host Tampines

Later this evening IPL leaders Semen Padang will host SLeague champions and leaders Tampines Rovers in a friendly at the Agus Salim Stadium.

Semen Padang  haven't played for a while, a long mid season break, while Tampines are also having a short rest while Singapore have a couple of friendlies.

Tickets cost from 30,000 IDR to 100,000 IDR.

COMMENT - the game was not Wednesday but Thursday. I took my info from a faulty source, apologies lah



Tuesday, September 03, 2013

 

Menpora Cup

Bandung Group (Si Jalak Harupat Stadium)

Persib
Sriwijaya
Central Coast Mariners
Malaysia Under 23

Malang Group (Kanjuruhan Stadium)

Arema
Persepam MU
Loyola Meralco
Mitra Kukar

Competition runs from 20-28 September and the final will be in Malang featuring the winners of each group.

UPDATE

20 September 2013 
Persib Bandung v Malaysia U-23 
Central Coast Mariners v Sriwijaya FC 

21 September 2013 
Mitra Kukar v Persepam Madura United 
Arema Indonesia v Loyola Meralco Sparks 

22 September 2013 
Malaysia U-23 v Central Coast Mariners 
Persib Bandung v Sriwijaya FC

23 September 2013
Mitra Kukar v Loyola Meralco Sparks
Persepam Madura United v Arema Indonesia 

24 September 2013 
Central Coast Mariners v Persib Bandung
Sriwijaya FC v Malaysia U-23 

25 September 2013 
Loyola Meralco Sparks v Persepam Madura United 
Arema Indonesia v Mitra Kukar 



 

Divisi Utama Semi Final Draw

08/09 Persikabo v Persebaya
08/09 Persik v Perseru

Games to be played at Manahan Stadium in Solo. The first game will kick off at 3.30 while the second one will start at 7pm.

The final is scheduled to take place at the same stadium on 14/09.

The winner, runner up and third placed team will go to next season's Indonesia Super League while the fourth p;aced team will play off against the team that finishes fourth bottom of the ISL.

 

Singapore Cup Semi Final Draw

01/10 - Tanjong Pagar v Global FC
03/10 - Balestier Khalsa v Home United

04/10 - Global FC v Tanjong Pagar
07/10 - Home United v Balestier Khalsa

Global FC are the second Philippine team to reach the semi finals in two years after Loyola Meralco Sparks lost out last year. They are up against a Tanjong Pagar side who won the cup back in 1998, defeating SAFFC 2-0 in the final.

Balestier Khalsaare in unfamiliar territory and will go head to head with a star packed, resurgent Home United desperate for some silverware to show for all their promise.

Home won the cup back in 2011 after extra time against Albirex Niigata, their fifth success in the competition.

2012 - SAFFC v Tampines 2-1
2011 - Home United v Albirex Niigata1-0
2010 - Bangkok Glass v Tampines Rovers 1-0
2009 - Geylang United v Bangkok Glass 1-0
2008 - SAFFC v Woodlands Wellington 2-1

Home United x 5
SAFFC x 4
Tampines x 3
Tanjong Pagar x 1
Geylang United x 1
Bangkok Glass x 1



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