Saturday, January 17, 2026
Once Mighty Sriwijaya Fallen On Hard Times
It's always nice when I hear English football fans get on their high chair and say politics should not be a part of football. In an ideal world, agreed but we're not in an ideal world and in countries like Indonesia they're a necessary evil.
Unless you're a club with a large fanbase (Persebaya, Persib, Persija) or wealthy backers (Bali United, Dewa United, Borneo) then the chances are high a club is going to need political backing at a local level to even get off the ground.
Sriwijaya are one such club. With a licence bought from Persijatim, the city government of Palembang in South Sumatra sought a team to fill their impressive Sriwijaya Stadium. Little did they know they were giving birth to a prodigal side that would go on and dominate the local football scene over a five-year period as well as share their plastic water bottles with the best of Asia
League Champions - 2007/08, 2011/12
Copa/Piala Indonesia - 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010
Inter Island Cup - 2010, 2012
Community Shield - 2010
At the end of the 2018 season, with new money coming into the league through clubs like Bali United, Madura United, Sriwijaya were relegated and have been in the second tier ever since.
A bigger blow came before the 2025/26 season. The local government wanted a football club but instead of investing in Sriwijaya or even the original PS Palembang, they wanted their own football club, one that local residents would identify with them rather than the city.
So, much as the city of Palembang had done 21 years earlier, they went licence shopping and bought Persikas Subang from West Java. Persikas were rebranded SumSel United (Sumatra Selatan) and thanks to their rich owners they are in the same Championship Group A as Sriwijaya.
This meant for the first time since god knows when the city of Palembang got to host a proper derby match. The game was played behind closed doors, I guess officials were worried fans of a club five months old would be after their elder brethern, and ended 1-1, Sumsel equalising in the last minute.
If the result indicates a couple of sides of equal ability you'd be wrong. Sumsel United may be the younger in the relationship but for now they are the top boys in town. They are coached by Nil Maizer, who once had the biggest job in the land, while Sriwijaya are coached by former international Budi Sudarsono.
Sumsel boast a number of familiar names like Ichsan Kurniawan, Rachmat Hidayat and Bayu Gatra as well as a handful of foreigners.
Sriwijaya have Erick Cantona and Madrid Augusta! They also have former international Valentino Telabun but the point I'm making is the Palembang clubs, old and new, maybe in the same restaurant but are eating off very different menus and the table doesn't lie.
The Palembang Derby is back again next weekend, thanks to a new team manager coming into Sriwijaya to perhaps provide the backing needed to at least see out the season
Different football clubs birthed by political egos on very different trajectories.
