Jakarta Casual

Back in my more active days, I had this idea of travelling around Aceh watching football. In those halcyon days, we had the likes of PSAP Sigli, PSLS Langsar, PS Pidie Jaya, PSSB Bireuen and PSLS Lhokseumawe in and around the top two divisions and by all accounts, games between the provincial rivals could get a bit lively on and off the pitch.

Back in 2014, a challenge by the PSAP goalkeeper on an onrushing Persiraja striker led to the striker suffering a bladder leakage. He died a few days later.

The top club in the province is undoubtedly Persiraja. Breaking with naming tradition, Persiraja don't have Banda Aceh in their name - instead, they take their acronym from Kute Raja, an earlier name for the capital city.

Persiraja line up in 2011

For most of the last 20 years or so they have sat comfortably in the second tier apart from a couple of spells where they got to mix with the big boys. They finished runners-up in 2010/2011 (I managed to see them that season win away to Persitara) and third in 2019 winning promotion both times.

There is little danger of the Laskar Rencong achieving a hat trick of promotions this season. As things stand, they sit fifth in Group A of the Championship, nine points adrift of leaders Adhyaksa and nine clear of second bottom Persekat who would face a play-off to avoid relegation.

With such a dull old season, why write about them? Partly because I'm still in catch up mode on Indonesian football as a whole and partly because I find some of the most interesting stories are to be found away from the top teams.

Take coach Jaya Hartono for example. Back in 2003, he won the league with Persik. I first came across him when he was coaching a thrilling Deltras side which featured the likes of Claudio Pronetto, Sebastian Valazquez and Christian Rene. Since then, like many an Indonesian coach, he has bounced around the archipelago like a Lion Air cabin crew struggling to replicate that early success.

Player-wise, perhaps the most familiar name is David Laly. Born in Wamena, Papua, Laly can truly claim to have covered the 17,000 islands and three time zones that make up Indonesia during his football career, having played for Persipura (Papua), Persib (Java), Barito Putera (Kalimantan), along the way to Aceh. Oh, and he also spent time in Malaysia with Felcra in 2018.

A diminutive winger with pace to burn, Laly was one of those types of players Indonesia produces in abundance, not always with the end product to go with it though. Now in his early 30s, Laly is in the twilight of his career, far from his home town, which leaves me wondering - considering a one-way flight home can cost £450 and take around 20 hours, requiring stopovers in Malaysia(!), Jakarta and Jayapura, how often does he go home?!

London-born Scottish striker Connor Flynn-Gillespie faces a marginally longer trip home. The 28-year-old has a varied resume packed away with his shin pads and boots, with his career starting in Scotland before heading to Spain, Cyprus, New Zealand and Gibraltar before finding himself on the northern tip of Sumatra.

With 15 goals in 21 games in his first season in Indonesia, Flynn-Gillespie is sure to have made bigger clubs in the region sit up and take notice of how quickly he has adapted to life in the tropics. Indeed, only Adilson Silva (Adhyaksa) and Igor Henrique (Persiku) have scored more.

One other intriguing name at Persiraja is Omid Popalzay. The 30-year-old attacking midfielder was recently called up by Afghanistan for a couple of internationals - another journey that stretches Skyscanner to the limit!

Despite being born in Kabul, Popalzay has spent his career overseas, having played for teams in Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Poland, Bangladesh, Sweden and Jordan before arriving in Indonesia in 2023 with PSPS. Apart from a short-lived stay in Bangkok, Indonesia has been home.

One of the underestimated jobs a coach has these days is moulding such a disparate group of players together into a team all on the same page, especially in an area like Aceh which has sharia law. Laly, Flynn-Gillespie and Popalzay show how eclectic can be the make up of a football team as a Papuan, a Scotsman and an Afghan seek to gel with each other and their surroundings.

# posted by Me @ 3:55 PM