Jakarta Casual
After analysis of all the
circumstances of the matter, in particular, the match officials’
reports, FAM’s positions as well as the relevant videos and pictures,
and due to the seriousness of the incidents, the Disciplinary Committee
decided that the next home match of the ‘A’ representative team of
Malaysia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying competition (Malaysia v
UAE on 17 November 2015) will be played without spectators. The
committee also decided to impose a fine of CHF 40,000 and issue FAM with
a warning.
Furthermore, the Disciplinary Committee decided that the match be declared to be lost by forfeit by Malaysia (0-3).
FAM
was found to be liable for the supporters’ behaviour and, in
particular, for breaching art. 6 par. 5 of the Regulations of the 2018
FIFA World Cup Russia™, art. 56, art. 65, 67 par. 1 and art. 67 par. 3
of the FIFA Disciplinary Code as well as art. 4 par. 2, art. 29 par. 1
lit. b) and art. 2 of Annexe C of the FIFA Stadium and Safety
Regulations.
Disciplinary proceedings had been opened after
several incidents, including smoke bombs and flares, occurred inside
Shah Alam Stadium, which led to the abandonment of the match in the 88th
minute.
FAM was notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today.
SOURCE - FIFA
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Weaver No Longer Warrior Coach
Warriors coach Alex Weaver has left the club he has announced. Despite winning the SLeague last season, for the first time since the club was rebranded from SAFFC, Warriors have struggled for consistency this campaign and defensive slips have seen them concede 40 goals in their 22 SLeague games thus far. Indeed even though they have been there or there abouts most of the season they have shown a negative goal difference which has left them vulnerable to their nearest rivals.
They are currently 5th in the 10 team table with 10 wins and 9 defeats so far but one shining light this season has been the form of national team striker Fazrul Nawaz who has scored 15 SLeague goals so far, Unfortunately the one time Gombak United striker's consistency has not been matched by his team mates behind him with string of heavy losses putting the breaks on a sustained title assault.
23/07 Warriors v Young Lions 0-2
30/07 Warriors v Home United 2-2
04/08 Hougang United v Warriors 4-1
07/08 Warriors v Tampines Rovers 2-1
19/08 DPMM v Warriors 2-0
23/08 Warriors v Harimau Muda 0-2
29/08 Warriors v Geylang 1-1
13/09 Warriors v Balestier Khalsa 4-2
19/09 Harimau Muda v Warriors 2-2
16/10 Young Lions v Warriors 2-1
21/10 Home United v Warriors 2-1
11 2 1 8 14-23
Weaver is replaced by Karim Bencherifa for the final few games of the season. The Moroccan is a familiar face in Singapore having worked with Woodlands Wellington and Tanjung Pagar in the past. Neither side of course is in SLeague these days!
They are currently 5th in the 10 team table with 10 wins and 9 defeats so far but one shining light this season has been the form of national team striker Fazrul Nawaz who has scored 15 SLeague goals so far, Unfortunately the one time Gombak United striker's consistency has not been matched by his team mates behind him with string of heavy losses putting the breaks on a sustained title assault.
23/07 Warriors v Young Lions 0-2
30/07 Warriors v Home United 2-2
04/08 Hougang United v Warriors 4-1
07/08 Warriors v Tampines Rovers 2-1
19/08 DPMM v Warriors 2-0
23/08 Warriors v Harimau Muda 0-2
29/08 Warriors v Geylang 1-1
13/09 Warriors v Balestier Khalsa 4-2
19/09 Harimau Muda v Warriors 2-2
16/10 Young Lions v Warriors 2-1
21/10 Home United v Warriors 2-1
11 2 1 8 14-23
Weaver is replaced by Karim Bencherifa for the final few games of the season. The Moroccan is a familiar face in Singapore having worked with Woodlands Wellington and Tanjung Pagar in the past. Neither side of course is in SLeague these days!
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Malaysia's Sanction Busters
Today sees President Cup winners and Indonesia Super League champions Persib take on a Liga Malaysia All Stars in a friendly, laughingly billed the Champions' Duel, in Soreang which is interesting. Interesting not least because Indonesian football is suspended by FIFA meaning no other Football Association can have any kind of contact or dealings with them.
Interesting also because the big Malaysian clubs are still involved in the Malaysia Cup and they aren't going to release any players for something like this, are they? Mind you that small fact hasn't stopped officials bigging up the Malaysian squad even though Football Association of Malaysia say they know nothing about the game or who is involved.
There is also a flyer used to promote the game that features players wearing a Kelantan and Geylang International shirt even though the latter actually play in the SLeague. I wonder how both clubs feel about their players being used so carelessly.
For all the hype surrounding the game the Malaysian team is not filled with any kind of stars and coming at a time when FIFA are supposed to be visiting Indonesia to discuss their suspension it does seem a particularly ill timed fixture, one Malaysia is doing its best to distance itself from. You wonder how the PSSI and the Transition Team feel about this though judging by a recent quote from the sprots minister, where are FIFA now, you get the impression they aren't really bothered.
Still, it is a Persib home game so a full house is guaranteed!
Malaysian Squad
Interesting also because the big Malaysian clubs are still involved in the Malaysia Cup and they aren't going to release any players for something like this, are they? Mind you that small fact hasn't stopped officials bigging up the Malaysian squad even though Football Association of Malaysia say they know nothing about the game or who is involved.There is also a flyer used to promote the game that features players wearing a Kelantan and Geylang International shirt even though the latter actually play in the SLeague. I wonder how both clubs feel about their players being used so carelessly.
For all the hype surrounding the game the Malaysian team is not filled with any kind of stars and coming at a time when FIFA are supposed to be visiting Indonesia to discuss their suspension it does seem a particularly ill timed fixture, one Malaysia is doing its best to distance itself from. You wonder how the PSSI and the Transition Team feel about this though judging by a recent quote from the sprots minister, where are FIFA now, you get the impression they aren't really bothered.
Still, it is a Persib home game so a full house is guaranteed!
Malaysian Squad
Friday, October 23, 2015
Them Cups Keep A Coming
Following the 'success' of the President Cup, the organisers have now come up with another cup competition to keep players business while men in suits consider what to do next with Indonesian football's latest officialdom malaise.
Pusamania Borneo have already claimed to have accepted an invitation to join the Surdiman Cup which is slated to start in November while another 14 clubs are expected to join. Interestingly 15 ISL teams joined the President Cup which suggests the Papuan sides, Persipura, Persiram and Persuru will continue their extended break.
The 15 teams will be split into three groups, based on Malang, Surabaya and Bali and the final would be held as a one off towards the end of January.
14/11 - 01/12 - Group stage
Top two in each group plus the two best third placed teams will go into what we used to call the quarter finals but now seem to be called the Big 8.
12/12 - 20/12 - Quarter Finals
09/01 - 17/01 - Semi Finals
24/01 - Final
Plans are also in place for an East Kalimantan Governor's Cup. This would feature Pusamania, Persiba Balikpapan, Mitra Kukar, seeing as they come from said province, along with Bali United, returning to their Samarinda routes, and Persija. If they have any money!
There is also talk about the Marah Halim making an appearance in the New Year. We have heard this before though!
No one seems to have thought about finishing the Inter Island Cup 2014 yet!
Pusamania Borneo have already claimed to have accepted an invitation to join the Surdiman Cup which is slated to start in November while another 14 clubs are expected to join. Interestingly 15 ISL teams joined the President Cup which suggests the Papuan sides, Persipura, Persiram and Persuru will continue their extended break.
The 15 teams will be split into three groups, based on Malang, Surabaya and Bali and the final would be held as a one off towards the end of January.
14/11 - 01/12 - Group stage
Top two in each group plus the two best third placed teams will go into what we used to call the quarter finals but now seem to be called the Big 8.
12/12 - 20/12 - Quarter Finals
09/01 - 17/01 - Semi Finals
24/01 - Final
Plans are also in place for an East Kalimantan Governor's Cup. This would feature Pusamania, Persiba Balikpapan, Mitra Kukar, seeing as they come from said province, along with Bali United, returning to their Samarinda routes, and Persija. If they have any money!
There is also talk about the Marah Halim making an appearance in the New Year. We have heard this before though!
No one seems to have thought about finishing the Inter Island Cup 2014 yet!
Independence Cup Prize Money To Be Released. Finally
It seems ages ago that PSMS won the Independence Cup and in recent weeks the story has been a typical one in Indonesia. Where is the money?Yeap, doesn't matter who runs the game, no one seems to know how to find any cash to fulfil contractual obligations be it for players or clubs.
Now it looks like PSMS and Persinga will receive their money after the government appointed Transition Team, set up to reform the game in the wake of the PSSI suspension, cleared the way for local government funds to be tapped for the cash.
Now regular readers, hi Tom, may recall it wasn't that long ago when the government was announcing clubs could no longer use tax payers money to fund their largess, a decision that seems to have be met with varying degrees of compliance. So for the Transition Team to turn around and say actually it is ok is rather odd.
But the TT say it's ok. According to a law issued in 2004 apparently tax money can only be used for prize money and not for the more general expenses a football club incurs.
If it was that simple why has it taken so long to decide the money can be released?
SOURCE - Ongisnade
Now it looks like PSMS and Persinga will receive their money after the government appointed Transition Team, set up to reform the game in the wake of the PSSI suspension, cleared the way for local government funds to be tapped for the cash.
Now regular readers, hi Tom, may recall it wasn't that long ago when the government was announcing clubs could no longer use tax payers money to fund their largess, a decision that seems to have be met with varying degrees of compliance. So for the Transition Team to turn around and say actually it is ok is rather odd.
But the TT say it's ok. According to a law issued in 2004 apparently tax money can only be used for prize money and not for the more general expenses a football club incurs.
If it was that simple why has it taken so long to decide the money can be released?
SOURCE - Ongisnade
A Local Media Look At FIFA Suspension
FIFA achieved what it wanted towards
Kuwait sports, and decided on what it wished with premeditation to stop
Kuwait sports activities for the second time, and with that it stabbed
the heart of Kuwait, before targeting Kuwaiti sports and athletes.
I expected such a decision, because
intentions were clear and indicators do not need any clarification,
despite the marathon meetings between the government delegation led by
Information Minister and State Minister for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman
Al-Sabah and his delegation with FIFA officials, who confessed to
receiving wrong information and different from those given by the
government delegation.
With those confessions, they should have
been more realistic and fair in dealing with this case, and not
consider the lies they received from those who sought the suspension
from inside Kuwait, with regret. What we knew after the meeting of the
government delegation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is
that the delegation asked for the points that alleged government
interference, and IOC promised to send them, while at the same time gave
two more weeks as a deadline to send the clarifications.
The Kuwait delegation rejected the
deadline in respect of Kuwait laws and the state’s sovereignty, which do
not accept any encroachment from FIFA, IOC or others. All promises of
FIFA did not take place, rather they carried out their game and brought
in the suspension, as if they do not know, or they know and ignore that
there are countries with government interference more that those said
the government here is interfering in sports, and this is a lie that
came out of Kuwait, and FIFA took it with pleasure to fulfill what was
wished by those who wanted the suspension by any means to feel that they
got what they wanted, even if that was against Kuwait sport.
The issue, following the suspension
decision, no longer requires any complacency with the sports union,
following what the sports movement has seen in the form of destruction,
deterioration and failure at the regional, continental and international
levels.
Our sports today need a rescue tube,
following where it has reached. It is enough that our reputation abroad
is the talk of all satellite stations and various media, and enough pain
and heartbreak that hit us (by the deed of more than one person). We
were on top recently, when there were people who were not looking for
the chair or budget as much as they were looking for achievements with
which they raised Kuwait’s name at all events.
Congratulations to those who were hoping
and longing to stop Kuwait sports activities, and they got what they
wanted, but the stumble will not last long, and Kuwait will get its
sports back as well as its pioneering role by those who are the people
of sports, and not intruders.
SOURCE - Kuwait Times
Singapore Football Could Learn From EPL Hype
Next weekend I will be in Singapore and hopefully catching a few SLeague games. Not for the first time in recent seasons the title campaign is shaping up nicely Tampines Rovers and surprise package Balestier Khalsa waiting for leaders DPMM to slip up. Further afield LionsXII won the Malaysia FA Cup for the first time in their short history while they have also qualified for the knock out stage of the Malaysia Cup with still a game to play.
The national team are handily placed in their group to progress further, if not to the World Cup in 2018 then the Asian Cup a year later being held in the UAE. Five games in they are sitting third in the group, three points behind leaders Syria and equal with Japan though the Blue Samurai do have a game in hand. Their last two home games saw two wins and barrels of complaints from the ultra critical home support. Two of their remaining three games are at home while surprise leaders Syria, who of course don't have a proper home these days, must travel to Japan and Kallang in their remaining games.
On the field Safuwan Bahruddin, who has appeared in the last few Jakarta Casual Awards Team of the Year, has been impressing people from Australia to Japan while goalie Izwan Mahbud has also impressed, especially with an eye catching performance for the national side away to Japan in their WCQ. Fazrul Nawaz suffered a disappointment at the start of the season when a move to Sabah fell through but he has been in fine form in the SLeague, rattling home 15 goals for the Warriors in what has been an inconsistent campaign for the champions and in the process making him the second top scorer in the league and the leading Singaporean scorer. And in Thailand Hassan Sunny has been receiving plaudits for his performances between the sticks for a struggling Army United. And don't forget the emergence of Balestier Khalsa as serious challengers for their first SLeague title.
From a footballing point of view and for the outsider looking in what is not to like?
But the Singaporean football fan is not a happy bunny. Recent WCQs saw low attendances despite the side's good form. Apparently they are boring to watch. I watched Paris SG play Real Madrid the other night and fell asleep. Football comes with no guarantees, what do these people want? Lose 7-3 at home?!
So why aren't fans flocking to fill the stadiums given the relative success and excitement going on? You can be sure if Sky Sports were broadcasting the SLeague there would be less negativity surrounding the game. Can you imagine R Sasikumar, a local legend, in a student adding colour comms to a game? Noh Alam Shah previewing up coming games and Aleksander Duric giving tactical advice? They would turn Harimau Muda v Hougang United into the greatest game since Sergio Aguero sealed Manchester City's first Premier League title and fans across the island would be wearing Fazrul Nawaz's name on the back of their replica shirts. Unfortunately there is no hype and there is no marketing of the SLeague. Period. Instead what we get are interminable calls for a strategic review revolving around whether LionsXII should carry on in Malaysia, how many clubs should be in the SLeague and let's all fantasise about the ASEAN Super League.
The irony is of course people sit down and watch the EPL week in, week out, stay up late and spend big money buying replica shirts. Yet those with the power to do so don't see a link between the packaging of the EPL and the emptiness that surrounds their own league.
If only we could get a new FAS and a Peter Lim could put just 10% of the money he has invested into Valencia into helping the local game...
The national team are handily placed in their group to progress further, if not to the World Cup in 2018 then the Asian Cup a year later being held in the UAE. Five games in they are sitting third in the group, three points behind leaders Syria and equal with Japan though the Blue Samurai do have a game in hand. Their last two home games saw two wins and barrels of complaints from the ultra critical home support. Two of their remaining three games are at home while surprise leaders Syria, who of course don't have a proper home these days, must travel to Japan and Kallang in their remaining games.
On the field Safuwan Bahruddin, who has appeared in the last few Jakarta Casual Awards Team of the Year, has been impressing people from Australia to Japan while goalie Izwan Mahbud has also impressed, especially with an eye catching performance for the national side away to Japan in their WCQ. Fazrul Nawaz suffered a disappointment at the start of the season when a move to Sabah fell through but he has been in fine form in the SLeague, rattling home 15 goals for the Warriors in what has been an inconsistent campaign for the champions and in the process making him the second top scorer in the league and the leading Singaporean scorer. And in Thailand Hassan Sunny has been receiving plaudits for his performances between the sticks for a struggling Army United. And don't forget the emergence of Balestier Khalsa as serious challengers for their first SLeague title.
From a footballing point of view and for the outsider looking in what is not to like?
But the Singaporean football fan is not a happy bunny. Recent WCQs saw low attendances despite the side's good form. Apparently they are boring to watch. I watched Paris SG play Real Madrid the other night and fell asleep. Football comes with no guarantees, what do these people want? Lose 7-3 at home?!
So why aren't fans flocking to fill the stadiums given the relative success and excitement going on? You can be sure if Sky Sports were broadcasting the SLeague there would be less negativity surrounding the game. Can you imagine R Sasikumar, a local legend, in a student adding colour comms to a game? Noh Alam Shah previewing up coming games and Aleksander Duric giving tactical advice? They would turn Harimau Muda v Hougang United into the greatest game since Sergio Aguero sealed Manchester City's first Premier League title and fans across the island would be wearing Fazrul Nawaz's name on the back of their replica shirts. Unfortunately there is no hype and there is no marketing of the SLeague. Period. Instead what we get are interminable calls for a strategic review revolving around whether LionsXII should carry on in Malaysia, how many clubs should be in the SLeague and let's all fantasise about the ASEAN Super League.
The irony is of course people sit down and watch the EPL week in, week out, stay up late and spend big money buying replica shirts. Yet those with the power to do so don't see a link between the packaging of the EPL and the emptiness that surrounds their own league.
If only we could get a new FAS and a Peter Lim could put just 10% of the money he has invested into Valencia into helping the local game...
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Is This Malaysia's Year?
It has long been said an element of luck is needed to win a cup competition and if that is true then the fates have been smiling on Malaysian sides this year in the AFC Cup.
- Some Pahang players were denied entry into Indonesia after they were found not to have had the correct visas. They were on their way to play Persipura.
- Pahang were awarded the tie 3-0 which was academic really as a FIFA suspension ended any Indonesian hopes of progressing anyway
- Johor Darul Tazim came away from Kuwait with a 3-1 loss in their AFC Cup semi final 1st leg tie. They were then saved the unnecessary inconvenience of playing a second leg with FIFA suspending Kuwaiti participation in FIFA sanction events.
New Host Needed For Gulf Cup
KUWAIT: The Cabinet yesterday decided
that Kuwait would not host the 23rd Gulf Cup of Nations scheduled for
Dec 2015. The decision was made yesterday during the Cabinet’s weekly
meeting held at Bayan Palace and chaired by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh
Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, in line with a proposal by Minister
of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman
Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah.
Sheikh Salman briefed the Cabinet on the
outcome of the recent joint meeting with the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland that discussed compatibility of
the sports laws in Kuwait on the legal and organizing level, said
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah
Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.
The Kuwaiti delegation, that included
head of the National Assembly’s Youth and Sports Committee MP Abdullah
Al-Maayouf and committee member Abdullah Al-Turaiji, clarified the
situation to the IOC. They reiterated that the Kuwaiti sports laws do
not contravene with the Olympic charter or relevant international
criteria.
They also stressed the fact that the
Kuwaiti sports bodies are “fully independent”. The Information Minister
explained the circumstances of FIFA’s decision to suspend the Kuwait
Football Association (KFA) from taking part in any international
competitions, and how the move was “arbitrary and hasty”. It entails
banning national teams and clubs from international competitions. Sheikh
Salman informed the Cabinet about the procedures to be taken to resolve
the crisis, in line with Kuwait’s sovereignty and legal and
constitutional system.
The minister suggested that after the
FIFA move, Kuwait would not host the 23rd Gulf Cup of Nations, and the
suggestion got the Cabinet’s approval. The ministers had reviewed all
the relevant regretful developments, their reasons and implications. The
Cabinet expressed deep regret over the decision that might cause harm
to Kuwait’s reputation as a country well-known for its full compliance
with international institutions and respect of laws and charters.
The Cabinet tasked the Public Authority
for Youth and Sports (PAYS) with taking the proper procedures to counter
all forms of deviation in the sports scene and achieve the aspired
reforms in its various institutions in line with directives of HH the
Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the Crown Prince
Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The meeting highly appreciated the
sincere efforts by Sheikh Salman and PAYS, and stressed the necessity of
keeping them up to realize the aspired national goals.
The ministers lauded efforts by the
National Assembly represented by the two MPs who took part in defending
Kuwait’s international reputation in Lausanne. They highlighted the
national stance by the Kuwaiti clubs that rejected the FIFA decision,
reiterating that Kuwait’s sports laws are in line with international
charters.
Monday, October 19, 2015
After President Cup Final, What Next For Football
In a way the result was irrelevant. The record books, not that there are any, will show Persib Bandung won a competition not recognised by anyone outside of Indonesia by beating Sriwijaya 2-0 at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta in front of 70,000 fans.
Perhaps of bigger significance is the fact that despite the gloom mongers the day passed off largely without a hitch. That more than 50,000 bobotoh could go to Jakarta, watch a game of football and then return home safely considering the rivalry that exists between them and fans of local side Persija suggests football fans are slightly more clued up than they are given credit for and perhaps the hapless administrators and politicians who eye football for their own grandstanding can learn a thing or to from them.
For once a massive security operation that had been put in place, with some reports suggesting up to 30,000 security officials in place to protect Persib fans from anyway Persija supporters who fancied a pop, seems to have in general done its job. Drenching the city, offering high profile escort and protection to the out of town visitors would have deterred all but the most foolhardy thug and while they were isolated stories of attacks there was nothing on the scale some predicted.
While football fans have shown they can do the right thing, those in control of the game must now step up to the plate. The President Cup may just be a one off event and the fact remains Indonesia remains suspended by FIFA and it doesn't look like much is being done to change that at least in the near future. Their has been talk of a FIFA delegation heading to Jakarta this month and they will only talk to PSSI. To solve the latest mess needs the government to understand it is not their job to interfere in football.
The PSSI also need to recognise they cannot carry on like they have been doing for years. All them allegations of match fixing etc don't grow on trees. Football does need reform but the reform must be football led, not involve political wannabes who see the game as an extension of their ego and influence.
Football fans have shown the way. If they can put aside their rivalry for the good of a game then surely it is now down to the men in suits to do the same. For the good of the game.
Perhaps of bigger significance is the fact that despite the gloom mongers the day passed off largely without a hitch. That more than 50,000 bobotoh could go to Jakarta, watch a game of football and then return home safely considering the rivalry that exists between them and fans of local side Persija suggests football fans are slightly more clued up than they are given credit for and perhaps the hapless administrators and politicians who eye football for their own grandstanding can learn a thing or to from them.
For once a massive security operation that had been put in place, with some reports suggesting up to 30,000 security officials in place to protect Persib fans from anyway Persija supporters who fancied a pop, seems to have in general done its job. Drenching the city, offering high profile escort and protection to the out of town visitors would have deterred all but the most foolhardy thug and while they were isolated stories of attacks there was nothing on the scale some predicted.
While football fans have shown they can do the right thing, those in control of the game must now step up to the plate. The President Cup may just be a one off event and the fact remains Indonesia remains suspended by FIFA and it doesn't look like much is being done to change that at least in the near future. Their has been talk of a FIFA delegation heading to Jakarta this month and they will only talk to PSSI. To solve the latest mess needs the government to understand it is not their job to interfere in football.
The PSSI also need to recognise they cannot carry on like they have been doing for years. All them allegations of match fixing etc don't grow on trees. Football does need reform but the reform must be football led, not involve political wannabes who see the game as an extension of their ego and influence.
Football fans have shown the way. If they can put aside their rivalry for the good of a game then surely it is now down to the men in suits to do the same. For the good of the game.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Kuwaiti Away Days
Kuwait Premier League Round 1
Al Shabab v Qadsia 0-3
Kazma v Kuwait SC 0-4
Al Jahra v Al Salmiya 0-1
Al Yarmouk v Al Arabi 0-3
Al Sahel v Al Fahaheel 0-0
Khitan v Al Sulaibhikat 0-3
Al Shabab v Qadsia 0-3
Kazma v Kuwait SC 0-4
Al Jahra v Al Salmiya 0-1
Al Yarmouk v Al Arabi 0-3
Al Sahel v Al Fahaheel 0-0
Khitan v Al Sulaibhikat 0-3
Turkish Football Experience
Those with long memories, or who are aware that they used to play football in England before the Premier League came along, may recall dear old Maggie and her cack handed efforts to introduce a membership scheme for anyone who wanted to go to see football. One club, Luton Town, took her up on the idea and 1986/87 saw them roll it out.
I hated the idea. I also hated the idea of missing an Arsenal away game so I spent many a phone call trying to convince the Luton box office that although I lived many miles away I had in fact been a keen fan for many years, which was bullshit, and had been to many games, which was nearly true. They weren't falling for it though and my bid was futile though others I knew were more successful.
Fast forward almost 30 years and in a bid to curb terrace violence Turkey has something similar. I had tried to enrol on line but without success so my first few hours in Istanbul were spent not at the Blue Mosque or hanging out with the ot he rubbernecking tourists in Sultanahmet but milling round Galatasaray's Turk Telkom Arena looking dumb, acting dumb and trying to blag a ticket for their game against Genclerbirligi the following day.
It worked. I signed up for the membership scheme, was given an ATM type card and a print out of my seat details and Bob is your uncle.
Come match day and after a few cold ones in a bar which I had found after getting lost I jumped in a taxi and made my way to the stadium. And seriously why the hell do I bother going to games in UAE or Bahrain?! Turkey as you would expect has a proper football culture, one that was evident on the short walk to the stadium from the station with vendors selling scarves, shirts, hats, and the odd beer!
In the forecourt there was a group of Galatasaray fans singing and dancing with some flares, not the trousered sort, but here the fun started. I was going from the game to the airport so had all my worldly belongings tied up in a hankie and the security guys were not impressed. 'Problem' said one as he looked with horror at a toy tram I had bought for my son. I played the dumb Englishman, said I was going to the airport and his superior let me go.
Next up was a body search and they were not impressed with the coins I had in my pocket., thinking I may throw them at the ref. I know, if I wanted to do something like that I would have used brown envelopes like everywhere else around the world but these security guys were adamant, no coins. I had to throw then into one of them collection boxes you see at airports and say goodbye. What the fuck? I wasn't going to throw good money away like that so I popped into the near buy food place and bought a kebab. And very nice it was to.
My worries were far from over though. I finally found my block and entered the stadium only to be searched again and this time they took offence to my camera. In echoes of Dubai the security guard said 'no, cannot take this. It's professional camera.' Look pal, I didn't say, I don't tell you your baton is a cheap fake from a market, don't try and tell me my camera is the real deal. Sod him I thought and just carried on walking and took a seat in the stand, leaving him to search the next guy.
I was in the seats to the right of the main body of Gala fans and as you might expect they were making a right old racket. The stadium was less than half full, put it this way there are more security guys on duty today in Jakarta for the President Cup Final between Persib and Sriwijaya than there were fans in the stadium in Istanbul.
I was wondering where the away fans were and then the visitors surprisingly took the lead and the silence was deafening; there were no away fans!
Gala fought back second half and won the game convincingly 4 -1 to go top of the Super League and the fans went home happy. And after watching games recently in Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait and Nepal for me I went to the airport happy. It was good to catch a big team playing in a big stadium in front of a passionate support. In fact why the bloody hell am I going to games in the Middle East full stop when Istanbul can be reached for the same price if flights are booked early enough and they have a proper football culture to watch and enjoy?
The one down side regards my membership card. It says Galatasaray on it and I don't think I would be to welcome if I go to Fenerbehce or Besiktas with it. Something to think about...
I hated the idea. I also hated the idea of missing an Arsenal away game so I spent many a phone call trying to convince the Luton box office that although I lived many miles away I had in fact been a keen fan for many years, which was bullshit, and had been to many games, which was nearly true. They weren't falling for it though and my bid was futile though others I knew were more successful.Fast forward almost 30 years and in a bid to curb terrace violence Turkey has something similar. I had tried to enrol on line but without success so my first few hours in Istanbul were spent not at the Blue Mosque or hanging out with the ot he rubbernecking tourists in Sultanahmet but milling round Galatasaray's Turk Telkom Arena looking dumb, acting dumb and trying to blag a ticket for their game against Genclerbirligi the following day.
It worked. I signed up for the membership scheme, was given an ATM type card and a print out of my seat details and Bob is your uncle.
Come match day and after a few cold ones in a bar which I had found after getting lost I jumped in a taxi and made my way to the stadium. And seriously why the hell do I bother going to games in UAE or Bahrain?! Turkey as you would expect has a proper football culture, one that was evident on the short walk to the stadium from the station with vendors selling scarves, shirts, hats, and the odd beer!
In the forecourt there was a group of Galatasaray fans singing and dancing with some flares, not the trousered sort, but here the fun started. I was going from the game to the airport so had all my worldly belongings tied up in a hankie and the security guys were not impressed. 'Problem' said one as he looked with horror at a toy tram I had bought for my son. I played the dumb Englishman, said I was going to the airport and his superior let me go.
Next up was a body search and they were not impressed with the coins I had in my pocket., thinking I may throw them at the ref. I know, if I wanted to do something like that I would have used brown envelopes like everywhere else around the world but these security guys were adamant, no coins. I had to throw then into one of them collection boxes you see at airports and say goodbye. What the fuck? I wasn't going to throw good money away like that so I popped into the near buy food place and bought a kebab. And very nice it was to.
My worries were far from over though. I finally found my block and entered the stadium only to be searched again and this time they took offence to my camera. In echoes of Dubai the security guard said 'no, cannot take this. It's professional camera.' Look pal, I didn't say, I don't tell you your baton is a cheap fake from a market, don't try and tell me my camera is the real deal. Sod him I thought and just carried on walking and took a seat in the stand, leaving him to search the next guy.
I was in the seats to the right of the main body of Gala fans and as you might expect they were making a right old racket. The stadium was less than half full, put it this way there are more security guys on duty today in Jakarta for the President Cup Final between Persib and Sriwijaya than there were fans in the stadium in Istanbul.I was wondering where the away fans were and then the visitors surprisingly took the lead and the silence was deafening; there were no away fans!
Gala fought back second half and won the game convincingly 4 -1 to go top of the Super League and the fans went home happy. And after watching games recently in Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait and Nepal for me I went to the airport happy. It was good to catch a big team playing in a big stadium in front of a passionate support. In fact why the bloody hell am I going to games in the Middle East full stop when Istanbul can be reached for the same price if flights are booked early enough and they have a proper football culture to watch and enjoy?
The one down side regards my membership card. It says Galatasaray on it and I don't think I would be to welcome if I go to Fenerbehce or Besiktas with it. Something to think about...
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Confirmed - Persib v Sriwijaya Final Set For Jakarta Date
There is a delicious irony at play here. Indonesia has been suspended from football for more than six months because of alleged interference by the government. FIFA decides to pay Jakarta a visit to discuss the situation and around the same time the President Cup, a competition organised by a team set up by the government to reform the game, gets to the final.
Out of 16 teams, Persib and Sriwijaya have made with through to the final and perhaps surprisingly the decision has been made to play the game in Jakarta. Yep, the same Jakarta that is home to Persija, a team whose fans widely loathe the Persib support, a feeling that is reciprocated with interest.
Last year as Persib fans returned home from Palembang having seen their team lift the Indonesia Super League for the first time in their history some were attacked hooligans as they drove through Jakarta in the early hours. Social media was awash with images of coaches that had been damaged as they negotiated the highway through Jakarta and people's experiences.
In the same year Persib's team coach was attacked by Persija hooligans as it left its Jakarta hotel and heading for the Bung Karno Stadium for their ISL game. The coach kept right on driving to the toll road and back to the comfort of the team's West Java heartland, the game called off.
Another time and Persija fans battled with police and local residents on a highway to Bandung after they were told they could not travel for their game against Persib in Soreang.
And then there was the time a Persib fan was beaten to death inside the Bung Karno Stadium when the teams met in an ISL game.
The two sets of supporters have previous going back years as this video shows. There was even the time when the game was forced to be played in Sleman, hundreds of miles from Jakarta and it still kicked off as rival fans went for it in the streets and on the terraces.
For years it has been the norm Persija fans don't travel to Bandung and Persib fans don't travel to Jakarta. If they do they hide their colours and they even go as far as changing their number plates on the highway before they reach enemy territory! One time I was stuck in Bandung, driving round the Siliwangi Stadium in a Jakarta registered car on match day. It was a bad move and it wasn't until our Sunda speaking driver opened the car window and showed the supporters two dumb, lost foreigners in the back seat that things cooled down.
For Persib fans, the game offers them a chance to repeat a moment that has gone down in their club's folklore, when tens of thousands of fans descended on Jakarta for a game against PSMS back in the 1990s, the single lane road through the mountains a sea of blue. That was before the rivalry kicked in.
Quite why the authorities have suddenly agreed to allow Persib, and their fans, to play in Jakarta is not clear. The city will be on full alert and it is no exaggeration to say while it won't be quite a lockdown so beloved of US news crews, not many security officials will be looking forward to a Sunday at home with their families.
Playing the game in Jakarta is a huge call and comes at a time when if anything football needs to be presenting a united face to FIFA. Thousands of fans battling in downtown Jakarta would not be the best image to show to the world.
A few years back I spoke with someone connected with the Persib supporters club.
Out of 16 teams, Persib and Sriwijaya have made with through to the final and perhaps surprisingly the decision has been made to play the game in Jakarta. Yep, the same Jakarta that is home to Persija, a team whose fans widely loathe the Persib support, a feeling that is reciprocated with interest.
Last year as Persib fans returned home from Palembang having seen their team lift the Indonesia Super League for the first time in their history some were attacked hooligans as they drove through Jakarta in the early hours. Social media was awash with images of coaches that had been damaged as they negotiated the highway through Jakarta and people's experiences.
In the same year Persib's team coach was attacked by Persija hooligans as it left its Jakarta hotel and heading for the Bung Karno Stadium for their ISL game. The coach kept right on driving to the toll road and back to the comfort of the team's West Java heartland, the game called off.
Another time and Persija fans battled with police and local residents on a highway to Bandung after they were told they could not travel for their game against Persib in Soreang.
And then there was the time a Persib fan was beaten to death inside the Bung Karno Stadium when the teams met in an ISL game.
The two sets of supporters have previous going back years as this video shows. There was even the time when the game was forced to be played in Sleman, hundreds of miles from Jakarta and it still kicked off as rival fans went for it in the streets and on the terraces.
For years it has been the norm Persija fans don't travel to Bandung and Persib fans don't travel to Jakarta. If they do they hide their colours and they even go as far as changing their number plates on the highway before they reach enemy territory! One time I was stuck in Bandung, driving round the Siliwangi Stadium in a Jakarta registered car on match day. It was a bad move and it wasn't until our Sunda speaking driver opened the car window and showed the supporters two dumb, lost foreigners in the back seat that things cooled down.
For Persib fans, the game offers them a chance to repeat a moment that has gone down in their club's folklore, when tens of thousands of fans descended on Jakarta for a game against PSMS back in the 1990s, the single lane road through the mountains a sea of blue. That was before the rivalry kicked in.
Quite why the authorities have suddenly agreed to allow Persib, and their fans, to play in Jakarta is not clear. The city will be on full alert and it is no exaggeration to say while it won't be quite a lockdown so beloved of US news crews, not many security officials will be looking forward to a Sunday at home with their families.
Playing the game in Jakarta is a huge call and comes at a time when if anything football needs to be presenting a united face to FIFA. Thousands of fans battling in downtown Jakarta would not be the best image to show to the world.
A few years back I spoke with someone connected with the Persib supporters club.
There are 60,000 Vikings out there, fan club members, spread all across West Java. For them Persib
Bandung is an expression of identity. An outlet of Sundanese emotion and nowhere is this more evident
than when Persib play Persija. The animosity felt by Persib fans to their Persija rivals is absolute.
Hatred seems so inadequate to describe a rivalry that is certainly up there with Barcelona Real Madrid
and Liverpool Manchester United. The Sunda aspect adds an ethnic element that is missing in those
aforementioned rivalries which are more based on politics and success. So, playing the dumb naïve
foreigner, why the hatred?
Bandung is an expression of identity. An outlet of Sundanese emotion and nowhere is this more evident
than when Persib play Persija. The animosity felt by Persib fans to their Persija rivals is absolute.
Hatred seems so inadequate to describe a rivalry that is certainly up there with Barcelona Real Madrid
and Liverpool Manchester United. The Sunda aspect adds an ethnic element that is missing in those
aforementioned rivalries which are more based on politics and success. So, playing the dumb naïve
foreigner, why the hatred?
‘Where to begin? We are Bandung. We come from Bandung, we live in Bandung, our football club is
part of our heritage. Jakarta people have no heritage. They come from all over Indonesia, they have no
roots to their city. Instead they just have arrogance because they live in Jakarta.’
part of our heritage. Jakarta people have no heritage. They come from all over Indonesia, they have no
roots to their city. Instead they just have arrogance because they live in Jakarta.’
Every weekend and holiday Bandung’s streets are clogged with Jakarta registered cars as families
from the capital head south in search of cheap shopping and food. For the people who deal with this
influx, the car park attendants, shop assistants, the restaurant staff, they are an overbearing,
overwhelming and unwanted guest. Getting round Bandung for Bandung folk becomes a slow moving
chore as idiotic Jakartans get lost in the confusing one way system and think nothing of parking where
they want. The money they spend ensures a passive, if sullen, service but the feelings are real and are
released on the terraces.
from the capital head south in search of cheap shopping and food. For the people who deal with this
influx, the car park attendants, shop assistants, the restaurant staff, they are an overbearing,
overwhelming and unwanted guest. Getting round Bandung for Bandung folk becomes a slow moving
chore as idiotic Jakartans get lost in the confusing one way system and think nothing of parking where
they want. The money they spend ensures a passive, if sullen, service but the feelings are real and are
released on the terraces.
The games between the two sides this season have been marked by serious crowd disorder even though
neither sets of fans traveled. At Persija blue scarves were menacingly burned in front of a plastic bottle
strewn visitors dug out outside coaches from Bandung were attacked. The atmosphere was a cauldron
and it would have been a brave referee indeed who would have given Persib a penalty that day. At the
end both sets of players were relieved to get through the game unscathed though the Persib players
needed to be escorted away from the stadium in Armoured Personnel Carriers!
neither sets of fans traveled. At Persija blue scarves were menacingly burned in front of a plastic bottle
strewn visitors dug out outside coaches from Bandung were attacked. The atmosphere was a cauldron
and it would have been a brave referee indeed who would have given Persib a penalty that day. At the
end both sets of players were relieved to get through the game unscathed though the Persib players
needed to be escorted away from the stadium in Armoured Personnel Carriers!
Monday, October 12, 2015
Kuwait Officials On Charm Offensive Ahead Of FIFA Decision
KUWAIT: Minister of Information and
Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud
Al-Sabah, who has arrived in Lausanne, Switzerland, will hold talks with
officials of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the sports
situation in Kuwait today.
Minister Sheikh Salman vowed to clarify to the international officials the sports’ status in Kuwait, with emphasis that the national rules neither contravene with the Olympic Charter, nor with relevant international regulations. He will affirm that all Kuwaiti sports authorities enjoy full administrative and technical independence.
The national soccer team joined the world cup in 1982 after winning the
Asian AFC cup in 1980. Kuwait had also been crowned as the Gulf champion
several times. The State strategy for the youth, partially, stipulates
special concern and attention to boosting sports. It has built many
sports facilities in the residential districts to encourage the citizens
to exercise.
The discussions are expected to focus on FIFA’ warning to suspend
national sports, namely the most popular game, football, due to what
FIFA says are some legal and administrative irregularities in the
sector, such as politicians’ meddling in sports.
Minister Sheikh Salman vowed to clarify to the international officials the sports’ status in Kuwait, with emphasis that the national rules neither contravene with the Olympic Charter, nor with relevant international regulations. He will affirm that all Kuwaiti sports authorities enjoy full administrative and technical independence.
Sheikh Salman stated that the State of Kuwait attaches much attention to
sports and youth just out of its commitment to the constitution and in
line with His Highness the Amir’s directives, while providing financial
and logistic backing to sports authorities, chiefly the Kuwait Olympic
Committee.
Simultaneously, a joint delegation grouping MPs of the National Assembly
(Parliament) and officials of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports
(PAYS) has also travelled to Switzerland to express identical views in
defense of Kuwait’s stance on the issue.
Chairman of the parliamentary youth affairs committee MP Abdullah
Al-Maiouf said the legislators and PAYS official would seek to persuade
FIFA that the local sports laws do not run counter with the Olympic
Charter, and that the envoys would affirm that there was no “political
meddling in the Kuwaiti sports affairs.
“We will prove with evidences that laws issued by the Parliament as
representative of the people do not contravene with international
principles and covenants.”
However, Al-Maiouf said in case FIFA insisted on maintaining its stance,
Kuwait would request clarification of its rules and regulations that
are referred to for suspending the sports in Kuwait, and would even ask
FIFA about the Kuwaiti laws it considers as not in harmony with the
Olympic Charter.
He added Kuwait would ask for a detailed, written and official report as
to the domestic laws that FIFA believes they should be modified “for
sake of pinpointing the flaws, if they exist, and casting away, for
good, the prospect of suspending the sports in Kuwait.”
Such legal amendments would warrant sufficient period of time for
discussing and examining them, as well as referring them to the National
Assembly for endorsement, MP Al-Maiouf explained, expressing optimism
that the meeting with the FIFA would end with a decision to “spare the
Kuwaiti sports the risk of suspension.”
The national sports clubs have largely spoken an identical language.
Nine Kuwaiti clubs, out of the country’s 15 ones, at a meeting last
week, affirmed respect and support for the local sovereign laws, which
essentially stipulate the State’s non-interference in the affairs of the
sports clubs, respect for the Olympic Charter and covenants of the
international federations.
The officials emphasized that there has been no government interference,
whatsoever, that may impede the Kuwaiti sports, noting that without the
material and moralistic support given by the Government and PAYS, the
national clubs and sports federation would not have been able to
function.
FIFA, on September 24th, warned the Kuwaiti Football Association that it
would slap a ban on the country’s participation in international soccer
events as of October 15, unless Kuwait amended the local sports laws
and rendered them compatible with international regulations.
Many Kuwaitis practice some kind of sports or exercise and soccer, in
particular, is very popular in the country. Kuwaitis follow up not only
on local and regional soccer events and games, but international and
European matches and tournaments, as well.
Musafri Sets Up Sriwijaya Final Against Persib
Well, that may have surprised many people. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Malang between Arema and Sriwijaya and a second leg controversially switched from Palembang to Solo more than one person felt the President Cup was set fair for a final between Persib and Arema.
Benny Dollo's Srwijaya had other days though. They returned to their old home town, before South Sumatra bought the license they were known as Persijatim and had a stint in Solo.
Played in front of a full house, both sides fielded strong sides but it was Sriwijaya who came out on top and set themselves on target for their first piece of silverware since 2012*.
They took the lead just before half time through Asri Akbar and though on loan striker Lancine Kone pulled one back for Arema in the second half the experienced TA Musafri made it 2-1 within five minutes and after a nervy final few minutes Sriwijaya held on for a famous victory.
After the game the Arema coach did not blame the ref. I repeat the losing coach in a football match did not blame the ref. In fact he admitted his side did not play well...it will never catch on, this honesty lark.
They will now play Persib in the final at a venue to be confirmed. It was hoped to play the game in Jakarta at Bung Karno but with Persib playing that now seems unlikely. The ISL champions had lost the first leg of their semi final 1-0 away to Mitra Kukar but back on their home turf they ended up 2-1 winners.
Sriwijaya : Dian Agus; Abdoulaye Maiga, Fachruddin, Wildansyah, Fathul Rahman; Asri Akbar, Yu Hyun Koo, Syakir Sulaiman; TA Mushafry, Patrich Wanggai, Titus Bonai.
Subs : Yogi Triana, Ichsan Kurniawan, Manda Cingi, Rizsky Dwi, Jecky Arisandi, Yohanis Nabar, Ngurah Nanak.
Arema : Kurnia Meiga; Fabiano Beltrame, Purwaka, Alfarizie, Hasyim Kipuw; Juan Revi, Ferry Aman, Lancine Kone; Samsul Arif, Cristian Gonzales, Dendi Santoso.
Subs : I Made Wardana, Benny Wahyudi, Suroso, Sukadana, Hendro Siswanto, Morimakan Koita, Arif Suyono.
* Sriwijaya honours
Liga Indonesia - 2007/2008
Super League - 2011/2012
Copa Indonesia - 2008, 2009, 2010
Inter Island Cup - 2010, 2012
Benny Dollo's Srwijaya had other days though. They returned to their old home town, before South Sumatra bought the license they were known as Persijatim and had a stint in Solo.
Played in front of a full house, both sides fielded strong sides but it was Sriwijaya who came out on top and set themselves on target for their first piece of silverware since 2012*.
They took the lead just before half time through Asri Akbar and though on loan striker Lancine Kone pulled one back for Arema in the second half the experienced TA Musafri made it 2-1 within five minutes and after a nervy final few minutes Sriwijaya held on for a famous victory.
After the game the Arema coach did not blame the ref. I repeat the losing coach in a football match did not blame the ref. In fact he admitted his side did not play well...it will never catch on, this honesty lark.
They will now play Persib in the final at a venue to be confirmed. It was hoped to play the game in Jakarta at Bung Karno but with Persib playing that now seems unlikely. The ISL champions had lost the first leg of their semi final 1-0 away to Mitra Kukar but back on their home turf they ended up 2-1 winners.
Sriwijaya : Dian Agus; Abdoulaye Maiga, Fachruddin, Wildansyah, Fathul Rahman; Asri Akbar, Yu Hyun Koo, Syakir Sulaiman; TA Mushafry, Patrich Wanggai, Titus Bonai.
Subs : Yogi Triana, Ichsan Kurniawan, Manda Cingi, Rizsky Dwi, Jecky Arisandi, Yohanis Nabar, Ngurah Nanak.
Arema : Kurnia Meiga; Fabiano Beltrame, Purwaka, Alfarizie, Hasyim Kipuw; Juan Revi, Ferry Aman, Lancine Kone; Samsul Arif, Cristian Gonzales, Dendi Santoso.
Subs : I Made Wardana, Benny Wahyudi, Suroso, Sukadana, Hendro Siswanto, Morimakan Koita, Arif Suyono.
* Sriwijaya honours
Liga Indonesia - 2007/2008
Super League - 2011/2012
Copa Indonesia - 2008, 2009, 2010
Inter Island Cup - 2010, 2012
Sunday, October 11, 2015
The Balkan Connection
Before the former Yugoslavia tore itself apart in a series of bloody conflicts and made a household name of a Red Star Belgrade football hooligan , I was unfortunately already familiar with some of the background. Not the political and nationalist ideology but the simmering tensions that lay under the sheen of Tito’s Yugoslavia. And I have football to thank for it.
I arrived in Australia in 1987 and as is my wont the first thing I had to do was find a football match to watch. A visit to a local newsagent, the purchase of Australian Soccer Weekly and job done; my first game would be St George BSC against Marconi Fairfield and in my naivety I thought it was a local derby. Well, both teams came from Sydney, that was good enough in most parts of the world!
It wasn’t that simple.
Back in them days football, the locals called it soccer at best, wogball at worst, was definitely a minority sport on a par with kangaroo chess and box jellyfish netball. The fair dinkum Aussie loved his Australian Rules Football, footy, his Rugby League, which at that time was sponsored by a tobacco firm, and Rugby Union. Soccer was for weirdos and immigrants...an odd stereotype in a country of immigrants but there you go.
A few weeks later and my local knowledge was improving. A game between St George and Preston Makedonia saw the first crowd trouble I witnessed down under as the Preston fans got pissed off with the ref. I say Preston fans, I should clarify. Preston actually came from Melbourne but they were called Makedonia because they were set up by Makedonian migrants, not fans of Tom Finney, and so, according to the perceived logic of the day, they appealed to the whole Makedonian community be they in Sydney, Melbourne or Chattanooga Choo Choo.
The problem for St George was one of geography. Their decent stadium, St George Stadium, was slap bang in the heart of a Makedonian community in South Sydney. For once, a team’s ethnic roots, in this case St George’s tiny Hungarian base, was not the cause of the trouble. They were too insignificant. Nope, this was a ‘home blown’ Makedonian affair and it was not to be the last I witnessed.
A few days later, the ASW was advertising a derby. Sydney Croatia v Melbourne Croatia! Go check it out on a map! At the very best, it was an overnight bus ride! That’s enough exclamation marks, for the time being.
Then there was Footscray JUST, a Serbian backed team from Melbourne.
They were the big ones who attracted the headlines, both positive and unsavoury.
I have next to me the programme from when Australia hosted England at the Sydney Football Stadium back in 1991. Sad? Yep, and unashamedly so, I am gutted I cannot find my old team sheets and programmes from my golden years down under, 1987 - 1991, and cling, rather pathetically it must be said, to the idea they will return one day. Sad, yep, but you know what, more than a few people reading this, I hope, will get where I am coming from!
Looking at the Australian line up I see familiar names like Mehmet Durakovic, today coach of Selangor in the Malaysia Super League but then a silky smooth midfielder. Then we have Ned Zelic who I first witnessed as a lanky but elegant player with Sydney Croatia but went on to have an eclectic career with Borussia Dortmund, Queens Park Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt, AJ Auxerre, 1860 Munchen, Kyoto Purple Sanga, Urawa Red Diamonds, Wacker Tirol, Newcastle Jets, Helmond Sport (from Netherlands, not Afghanistan!) and Dinamo Tblisi! No wonder he only managed 30 odd appearances for his country!
And there is more including Milan Blagojevic, Branko Milosevic and the Vidmar brothers Aurelio and Tony but if I list all their clubs this diary will never get finished!
Looking back from a distance of more than a quarter of a century, it seems that every time I watched a Makedonian team play, there were crowd disturbances of some kind or other.
There was one time when me and a group of friends travelled to nearby Wollongong Makedonia for a NSL game and things got so tasty we were kept behind after the game by the police who banned us from returning to Sydney by train after the game. Instead, they got the St George coach at the time, Frank Arok, to organise the team and give us rides back! Goalkeeper John Filan, who was to later play for Cambridge United and Wigan Athletic among others, got lumbered with me and he couldn’t wait to drop me off at a railway station in some distant western suburb!
One year, Australia played a friendly against Hajduk Split at Parramata Stadium in Sydney. In those days, it was hard for them to find international opponents; I can only recall seeing games against England and Czechoslovakia, most others were against club sides. How things change eh?
There were more than 10,000 at the game which featured traditional dancing before kick off. Traditional Croatian dance of course!
The Aussie national anthem was booed by the majority of the crowd - and when I say booed, imagine a stadium more than 99% filled with visiting supporters.
Australia took a very early lead through John Markovski, a Makedonian name, and the crowd went silent. All except for this wonderfully eccentric Fulham and St George supporting migrant who lived in Woy Woy (nope, not Roy Roy) who ran up and down the main stand, waving his scarf and being widely abused in a language he was in no way familiar!
The game ended 1-0 and most people went home upset. I think there may have been some trouble after the game with the police but my memory isn’t what it once was and anyway, I was just an English guy taking in a match, I pinned my colours to no team.
For all the trouble brewing on the terraces of Australian sporting venues, I was also becoming aware of an exciting generation of young players coming out of Yugoslavia, thanks in no small part to the efforts of a young Zvoinimir Boban, part of the exciting Yugoslav team that had won the Under 20 World Cup in 1987 and runners up in the Under 21 European Championships in 1990. Much of that team went on to form the rump of the Croatian team that finished third in the 1998 World Cup in France and we can only imagine how good they could have been had Yugoslavia not descended into such chaos.
The Socceroos played a couple of friendlies against Partisan Belgrade in 1988, one of them at the Parramatta Stadium, and the one player that stood out that night was Boban and I kind of followed his career with interest from afar. Of course, little did I realise that just a couple of years later, he would be attacking a policeman at a game between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade. A riot had broken out between the two sets of supporters and Boban had seen a policeman attack a Dinamo fan so Boban went for the cop.
In 1991 Boban moved to Italy where he spent several seasons with AC Milan and I would have probably seen him in action against Cagliari in 1993 in a game that marked their 50th unbeaten but he never said hi. With all the mess in Yugoslavia in those days, many people headed for the exits, not just footballers, in search of a better, safer life and to escape the internecine bloodshed. Freed from the rampant nationalist ideology of all parties, people could get on doing what they had been doing for generations; getting on with each other and ignoring politics and religion and race.
Many ended up in South East Asia and of course many continue to head to these shores, players like Aleksander Duric and Mustafic Fahruddin who have found new homes for themselves in this part of the world but there are many more.
Another Croatian with lengthy experience of South East Asia is defender Mijo Dadic who I first interviewed in 2010. He first arrived in Malaysia in 2004 where he played for MK Land and after a couple of seasons returned to Croatia. He was back in 2006 when a Croatian coach, Bojan Hodak no less, signed him up for MyTeam where he added experience to a team that boasted some of the best young players in the country at the time like Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Bunyamin Omar.
Neither MK Land nor MyTeam exist anymore by the way but no one is blaming Mijo!
From Malaysia he moved to Persiba Balikpapan, where he was a team mate of Robbie Gaspar followed by shorter spells with Deltras, Kelantan and Pelita Bandung Raya, before returning home again.
Singapore has played host to a number of players from the former Yugoslavia and that is not including the likes of Duric and Fahruddin.
In fact if we take a look at the SLeague handbook for the initial season back in 1996 we come up with the following:
Balestier Central - two Yugoslavians, two Croatians
Geylang United - one Croatian
SAFFC - five Croatians
Tampines Rovers - one Serbian
Woodlands Wellington - two Croatian
And there is more. The top scorer over the campaign was a player of Croatian descent in six of the first seven years. In 1996 it was SAFFC’s Eres Jure then a year later it was Balestier Central’s Goran Paulic. Englishman Stuart Young, formerly an Arsenal trainee who had been part of the youth team alongside Andy Cole, and Ray Parlour, broke the mould in 1998 when he hit 22 goals for Home United.
After Young’s interregnum, the top of the scoring chart became the position of another Croatian, Mirko Grabovac who had arrived in the country in 1999. He hit 23 goals in that debut season with SAFFC and went on to score a phenomenal 143 goals for the armed forces side in 137 games which, for the numerically challenged among us, is more than a goal a game.
In 2004 he moved to Tampines Rovers where he added a further 83 goals in 100 games before ending his career at Sengkang Punggol nee Hougang United. He also picked up a dozen caps after he took on Singaporean nationality but revoked that after retiring from the game and returning home in 2008.
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
Sriwijaya Fans Upset At Solo Move
Sriwijaya fans are not happy. After drawing the first leg of their President Cup tie with Arema 1-1 in Malang they were looking forward to having the East Javanese side come to their manor for the second leg.The game was switched as the haze that is swirling round Singapore and Malaysia is also affecting parts of Sumatra, impacting schools health and flights.
While the move makes sense Sriwijaya fans feel the choice of Manahan Stadium in Solo is just too close to Malang and in Indonesia an 11 hour drive is quite close (it was 11 hours last time I did it by mini bus!) and gives Arema an unfair advantage.
The problem then is where to play the game? Bandung has long been a no go zone for Arema fans while people could say if Solo is too close to Malang then so is Semarang, also in Central Java. Surabaya would also be an effective no go zone for Arema fans so perhaps the best option would be Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. That would guarantee a large crowd as Persija fans, starved of football in the capital city, would turn out and support their Arema brothers and even Sriwijaya fans may not baulk at playing the game there.
Football fans in Jakarta have almost forgotten what it is like to see a game as nothing has been played there throughout the year but there have been mumblings the President Cup Final could be played there; of course that may not happen if Persib get through. They lost their semi final 1st leg against Mitra Kukar.
Anyway it looks like Sriwijaya fans will boycott the game in Solo which is a tad ironic. Before Sriwijaya became Sriwijaya they were known as Persijatim Solo! It will be just like old times...
While the move makes sense Sriwijaya fans feel the choice of Manahan Stadium in Solo is just too close to Malang and in Indonesia an 11 hour drive is quite close (it was 11 hours last time I did it by mini bus!) and gives Arema an unfair advantage.
The problem then is where to play the game? Bandung has long been a no go zone for Arema fans while people could say if Solo is too close to Malang then so is Semarang, also in Central Java. Surabaya would also be an effective no go zone for Arema fans so perhaps the best option would be Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. That would guarantee a large crowd as Persija fans, starved of football in the capital city, would turn out and support their Arema brothers and even Sriwijaya fans may not baulk at playing the game there.
Football fans in Jakarta have almost forgotten what it is like to see a game as nothing has been played there throughout the year but there have been mumblings the President Cup Final could be played there; of course that may not happen if Persib get through. They lost their semi final 1st leg against Mitra Kukar.
Anyway it looks like Sriwijaya fans will boycott the game in Solo which is a tad ironic. Before Sriwijaya became Sriwijaya they were known as Persijatim Solo! It will be just like old times...
Monday, October 05, 2015
FIFA Punish Malaysia After WCQ Crowd Trouble
FIFA’s
Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the Football Association of
Malaysia (FAM) after serious crowd disturbances led to the abandonment
of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ qualifying match between Malaysia and
Saudi Arabia on Saturday 8 September.
Kuwait FA Faces FIFA Suspension
Kuwait Football Association (KFA) announced that FIFA dispatched a
letter to the association Thursday opposing the new law that governs
Kuwaiti football. The letter specified Oct 15 as the end of grace period
during which KFA must modify the law or face suspension of its
activities.
The message came as a shock to the sport community, which considers the
decision to be a direct interference in the internal affairs of the
State of Kuwait that may lead to the freezing of all other sport
activities until the law is amended.
Sources said a delegation from Kuwait Olympic Committee and Public
Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) will find a solution to the crisis
by asking for an extended grace period to modify local laws not in line
with the external bylaws, indicating a request will be presented at the
meeting of the international football committee in Zurich on 12
October, 2015.
They also said officials in the sports field and other local officials
have agreed on submitting the request to evade suspension of the
upcoming activities of KFA; otherwise, the national team may not
complete its journey in the ‘classification matches’ for the World Cup
in 2018 and the Asian Cup in 2019.
Also, Kuwait could be banned from hosting the 23rd GCC Cup scheduled to
begin on 22 December, 2015, while Qadsiya and Kuwait Clubs would be
deprived of playing their return matches for the semifinals of the Asian
Cup.
On the parliamentary level, sources said the letter is part of plot by
some local elements to distort Kuwaiti sports based on personal
interests, warning the country on succumbing to frivolities that aim to
incite chaos in the country.
They expected the government and PAYS will take a decisive stance
toward the issue and ask for an extension of the grace period to look
into the law, without making any promise on amendment, stressing the
entire issue should be left in the hand of the National Assembly to
discuss in the upcoming legislative term that begins 28 October .
For his part, member of the Parliamentary Youth and Sports Committee MP
Abdullah Al-Turaiji called for the government to take necessary legal
procedures to protect Kuwait’s sovereignty and the legal right of
passing laws to manage its country’s affairs, suggesting that Sheikh
Ahmad Al-Fahd and his brother Talal should be kept from harming the
interests of Kuwait, particularly youth and sports sector. He reaffirmed
that FIFA dares not interfere in the sovereignty of other countries in
the Gulf, although sports laws are similar in all GCC states.
He emphasized that Kuwait’s case is somewhat different because of
certain fingers helping FIFA to pick at her sovereignty. He reiterated
the need to take legal measures to stop Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd from
harming the interests of Kuwait by withdrawing from the Asian Olympic
Council, and then suspend the financial support to the union and Olympic
Committee, as well as clubs and unions that support him.
SOURCE - Times Kuwait
Sunday, October 04, 2015
Last Rites For Still Born ASEAN Super League
I must admit I am not a great fan of the proposed ASEAN Super League. When you have strong leagues in Indonesia (usually), Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam why would they want to weaken their own domestic scene for a vanity project. It does seem the drivers are Singapore and they need to be careful what they wish for.
Arsenal once put all their eggs in one basket when they naively though the Financial Fair Play would level the playing field and allow all clubs to compete equally. Despite being managed by a guy with an economics degree their thinking, which was at the heart of their business plan for so many years, did not take into account the concept of loopholes and highly paid legal teams.
Likewise Singapore who, along with their myriad strategic plans, hubs and leveraging, are now hoping an ASL will be the answer to all their prayers and set them on the road to a place at Asia's top table to the detriment of their own league. With an ASL why even bother with the SLeague?
Let's assume for a moment that Indonesia is let back in to FIFA and their clubs can suddenly find the money to do things like pay salaries and find the wherewithall to keep to a printed fixture list; which club would want to start traveling around the region playing teams in places like Laos and Myanmar, foregoing the old enemies on their own turf? No disrespect to Laos Toyota but will Persib fans turn out in force to see them on a wet Tuesday in Soreang?
The clubs proposed so far to enter the ASL so how seriously the local associations are taking the idea. Malaysia want to enter something called Frenz United Under 18. Apparently Frenz United are at 'the heart of a football revolution currently taking place in Malaysia and around the region. As the country’s first Professional Football Club with Academy for professional footballers; FUFC is conceiving, promoting and implementing game-changing excellence in football that is enabling an entire generation of highly-skilled, disciplined and competent individuals.'
The Philippines are more focussed on building their own national league; they are considering entering their national Under 23 side. The Thais with a league boasting the likes of Muang Thong United and Buriram United are looking at entering Port FC, nee Tha Reua, nee Thai Port, nee PAT.
Against that type of opposition you can see why Singapore is so excited. They want LionsXII to compete! Consider a league with the following:
LionsXII
Frenz United U18
Philippines U23
Port FC
Now as big a fan of ASEAN football as I am, I am hardly salivating at the prospect of watching any of those teams. When you look at the Indian Super League, which is kicking off its second season as I type this, you see how two bob the whole thing looks. Can you imagine the sponsors queueing up to get involved in the way they do in India cos I bloody well can't. Already there is talk Cambodia, Laos and Timor Leste are struggling to find sponsors for a team.
If you want to have a professional ASL then go the whole hog with franchises and serious investors with serious cash to burn. Don't fanny around with a Poundland version where no one is really interested outside of one country.
And Singapore needs to understand the ASL is not an exercise to brush the whole SLeague under the table. They have managed to run that league into the ground and for all their business school speak they have shown an absolute poverty of imagination how they can revive it. And FIFA, already a tad upset with the way the FAS is running itself, may not take kindly to a member association without a professional league.
An ASL is not the panacea to the ills that plague football in Singapore, it is not a one tablet cures all solution. It is time for the FAS to stop believing in fairy tales and do something concrete about the game in their own backyard and not expect teenagers in Malaysia to be the solution
Arsenal once put all their eggs in one basket when they naively though the Financial Fair Play would level the playing field and allow all clubs to compete equally. Despite being managed by a guy with an economics degree their thinking, which was at the heart of their business plan for so many years, did not take into account the concept of loopholes and highly paid legal teams.
Likewise Singapore who, along with their myriad strategic plans, hubs and leveraging, are now hoping an ASL will be the answer to all their prayers and set them on the road to a place at Asia's top table to the detriment of their own league. With an ASL why even bother with the SLeague?
Let's assume for a moment that Indonesia is let back in to FIFA and their clubs can suddenly find the money to do things like pay salaries and find the wherewithall to keep to a printed fixture list; which club would want to start traveling around the region playing teams in places like Laos and Myanmar, foregoing the old enemies on their own turf? No disrespect to Laos Toyota but will Persib fans turn out in force to see them on a wet Tuesday in Soreang?
The clubs proposed so far to enter the ASL so how seriously the local associations are taking the idea. Malaysia want to enter something called Frenz United Under 18. Apparently Frenz United are at 'the heart of a football revolution currently taking place in Malaysia and around the region. As the country’s first Professional Football Club with Academy for professional footballers; FUFC is conceiving, promoting and implementing game-changing excellence in football that is enabling an entire generation of highly-skilled, disciplined and competent individuals.'
The Philippines are more focussed on building their own national league; they are considering entering their national Under 23 side. The Thais with a league boasting the likes of Muang Thong United and Buriram United are looking at entering Port FC, nee Tha Reua, nee Thai Port, nee PAT.
Against that type of opposition you can see why Singapore is so excited. They want LionsXII to compete! Consider a league with the following:
LionsXII
Frenz United U18
Philippines U23
Port FC
Now as big a fan of ASEAN football as I am, I am hardly salivating at the prospect of watching any of those teams. When you look at the Indian Super League, which is kicking off its second season as I type this, you see how two bob the whole thing looks. Can you imagine the sponsors queueing up to get involved in the way they do in India cos I bloody well can't. Already there is talk Cambodia, Laos and Timor Leste are struggling to find sponsors for a team.
If you want to have a professional ASL then go the whole hog with franchises and serious investors with serious cash to burn. Don't fanny around with a Poundland version where no one is really interested outside of one country.
And Singapore needs to understand the ASL is not an exercise to brush the whole SLeague under the table. They have managed to run that league into the ground and for all their business school speak they have shown an absolute poverty of imagination how they can revive it. And FIFA, already a tad upset with the way the FAS is running itself, may not take kindly to a member association without a professional league.
An ASL is not the panacea to the ills that plague football in Singapore, it is not a one tablet cures all solution. It is time for the FAS to stop believing in fairy tales and do something concrete about the game in their own backyard and not expect teenagers in Malaysia to be the solution
Friday, October 02, 2015
FIFA Letter To PSSI
Thursday, October 01, 2015
Coach Eka Takes The Long Road To The Top
What do coaches and footballers do when the world governing body FIFA and the government suspend the local association, essentially putting football in lock down. Some look to careers outside the game to put food on their tables with stories rife of big name players opening restaurants, lesser known players getting behind kaki limas and others using their motorcycle as an ojek.
Others have basically become boots, or chalkboards, for hire, waiting for a club to hire their services for unofficial competitions like the President Cup or the Independence Cup.
But one young coach has taken an entirely different approach. With the Indonesia Super League shut down he reached for his rolodex and his passport and is now coaching in the Middle East with little known Bahrain side Al Najma.
From Indonesia with its passionate crowds of 20,000 plus at the big games to a tiny gulf kingdom, what can Bahrain offer an Indonesian he can’t find in his own backyard? Well, apart from experience, a stint in Bahrain seems to be well regarded in the coaching fraternity with the likes of Steve Darby (current coach of the Laos national team), Vjerun Simunic (ex Brunei coach now with Perak in Malaysia) and Dragan Talajic (with Thai giants Muang Thong United) cutting their teeth there. And of course there is the small matter of a recent World Cup Qualifier which in which Bahrain defeated Indonesia 10-0.
Then again Rudy Eka Priyambada has always been one to try something new. He started coaching back in 2001 at ISCI, a private sports club that caters to the international community in Jakarta before moving on to gigs with international schools in the capital.
It is certainly an interesting place to begin in football but lacking any kind of professional football career the football association were somewhat wary of this fresh, bubbly newcomer in his early 20s. He failed his C license, a blow that may have ended the ambitions of another wannabe coach but Rudy is no ordinary coach. ‘I used the rejection to motivate me,’ he says when he met in a hotel in Bahrain last weekend.
Far from Indonesia he may be but he had just come from Friday prayers and he ordered an iced lemon tea suggesting he would not be forgetting his roots in a hurry even though the football establishment failed to notice his talents. He continued to study for his badges and all the while his close contact with Jakarta’s expat community improved his language skills no end. It was his growing competence in English that saw him attend an AFC training programme in Malaysia in 2008; every year member associations are invited to send coaches on these course but with many Indonesian coaches having little grasp of English the invites would remain unopened. But Eka jumped at the opportunity and he ranked first among ASEAN coaches and received a scholarship to spend time in Germany where he studied for his A license, a necessary to coach at the highest levels.
‘After (Germany) still Indonesia doesn’t care about me, doesn’t give me a chance to be involved,’ he says. With Indonesian football crying out for quality coaches this head in the sand attitude from the PSSI does seem a bit odd but it may be some consolation to Eko to know that had Jose Mourinho been born in Jakarta he too would never have got the chance to coach either.
Eko brushed off the rejections and reached for his passport once more, this time to Australia where he tapped into his expanding international contacts and met with a number of senior football officials there. With glowing references he went door knocking and he ended up at Monbulk Rangers.
Hardly the most glamourous club in the state and a far cry from Melbourne Victory in the ALeague but he didn’t care. He was coaching and he was learning. Those months weren’t easy. His days would often begin at 3 am as he worked in a bakery to make ends meet. In the lower reaches of Australian state league football there is not a lot of cash to be found and Eko was forced to get creative. He needed the dough so he worked in a bakery, he cleaned tables, he washed dishes. ‘Work 3 o’clock. 12 o’clock go back to the flat. Five o’clock coaching until nine o’clock.’ And he lost his family, his wife leaving him and taking their son. One more knock back and one he wears on his sleeve; as well as his twitter profile. He started his journey with a burning ambition to be a coach. He now wants to be a father to his son. ‘I will make my son proud of me.’
It was that ambition that caught the attention of Indra Sjafri, another young coach who was doing things the unorthodox way. He had though been recognised by the PSSI and appointed coach of the national Under 19 side. Indra recognised Eka’s drive and perhaps saw a bit of himself in the young coach and appointed him as his assistant. Again it wasn’t a job overflowing with cash; ‘Rp150,000 petrol money,’ he laughs, ‘but doesn’t matter.’
It was the start of a journey that saw Indonesia win the ASEAN Football Federation Under 19 Championship as well as finish top of the AFC Under 19 Championship Qualifiers. This success was unheard of for generation of football fans and they flocked to the games.
With the break up of that successful side following the finals in Myanmar the coaching duo went their separate ways, Indra to Bali United Pusam and Eko to Mitra Kukar, an unfashionable but fairly well run club in East Kalimantan, as assistant coach. If Eka thought he had arrived he was to be disappointed. Just when you think things are going well football has a way to slapping you in the face again and the suspension of the PSSI saw the ISL halted after just two rounds and saw players and coaches left twiddling their thumbs.
Well, many did that. Eka twiddled his rolodex and an old mate from a previous training course invited him to talk in Bahrain. ‘I’m not here for the money,’ says Eka, his eyes as ever on the bigger picture. ‘I want the experience from working somewhere new, that is important.’
There is big money in Middle East football. The Qatar Stars League and the Arabian Gulf League are slowly producing sides to compete with the best in China, Japan, South Korea and Australia in the AFC Champions League. They don’t have an Al Ain and they can’t attract the likes of Xavi while at international level they have yet to win a trophy. But as the experiences of the coaches mentioned earlier testify it does offer the talented and the ambition an opportunity to burnish their credentials in a competitive league and that is what Eka is after. And with that it was time to leave.
With his positive outlook the young coach is embracing life in Bahrain, learning the language and of course finding time to hang out with the local Indonesian culture though he does balk a bit at the prices for a rendang! It has been a bumpy road so far for him, one that has seen zero encouragement from his own FA to losing his family to having his first job in the big time end almost before it had started but he remains optimistic and he remains fixed on his goal. ‘I want to learn.’
Others have basically become boots, or chalkboards, for hire, waiting for a club to hire their services for unofficial competitions like the President Cup or the Independence Cup.
But one young coach has taken an entirely different approach. With the Indonesia Super League shut down he reached for his rolodex and his passport and is now coaching in the Middle East with little known Bahrain side Al Najma.
From Indonesia with its passionate crowds of 20,000 plus at the big games to a tiny gulf kingdom, what can Bahrain offer an Indonesian he can’t find in his own backyard? Well, apart from experience, a stint in Bahrain seems to be well regarded in the coaching fraternity with the likes of Steve Darby (current coach of the Laos national team), Vjerun Simunic (ex Brunei coach now with Perak in Malaysia) and Dragan Talajic (with Thai giants Muang Thong United) cutting their teeth there. And of course there is the small matter of a recent World Cup Qualifier which in which Bahrain defeated Indonesia 10-0.
Then again Rudy Eka Priyambada has always been one to try something new. He started coaching back in 2001 at ISCI, a private sports club that caters to the international community in Jakarta before moving on to gigs with international schools in the capital.
It is certainly an interesting place to begin in football but lacking any kind of professional football career the football association were somewhat wary of this fresh, bubbly newcomer in his early 20s. He failed his C license, a blow that may have ended the ambitions of another wannabe coach but Rudy is no ordinary coach. ‘I used the rejection to motivate me,’ he says when he met in a hotel in Bahrain last weekend.
Far from Indonesia he may be but he had just come from Friday prayers and he ordered an iced lemon tea suggesting he would not be forgetting his roots in a hurry even though the football establishment failed to notice his talents. He continued to study for his badges and all the while his close contact with Jakarta’s expat community improved his language skills no end. It was his growing competence in English that saw him attend an AFC training programme in Malaysia in 2008; every year member associations are invited to send coaches on these course but with many Indonesian coaches having little grasp of English the invites would remain unopened. But Eka jumped at the opportunity and he ranked first among ASEAN coaches and received a scholarship to spend time in Germany where he studied for his A license, a necessary to coach at the highest levels.
‘After (Germany) still Indonesia doesn’t care about me, doesn’t give me a chance to be involved,’ he says. With Indonesian football crying out for quality coaches this head in the sand attitude from the PSSI does seem a bit odd but it may be some consolation to Eko to know that had Jose Mourinho been born in Jakarta he too would never have got the chance to coach either.
Eko brushed off the rejections and reached for his passport once more, this time to Australia where he tapped into his expanding international contacts and met with a number of senior football officials there. With glowing references he went door knocking and he ended up at Monbulk Rangers.
Hardly the most glamourous club in the state and a far cry from Melbourne Victory in the ALeague but he didn’t care. He was coaching and he was learning. Those months weren’t easy. His days would often begin at 3 am as he worked in a bakery to make ends meet. In the lower reaches of Australian state league football there is not a lot of cash to be found and Eko was forced to get creative. He needed the dough so he worked in a bakery, he cleaned tables, he washed dishes. ‘Work 3 o’clock. 12 o’clock go back to the flat. Five o’clock coaching until nine o’clock.’ And he lost his family, his wife leaving him and taking their son. One more knock back and one he wears on his sleeve; as well as his twitter profile. He started his journey with a burning ambition to be a coach. He now wants to be a father to his son. ‘I will make my son proud of me.’
It was that ambition that caught the attention of Indra Sjafri, another young coach who was doing things the unorthodox way. He had though been recognised by the PSSI and appointed coach of the national Under 19 side. Indra recognised Eka’s drive and perhaps saw a bit of himself in the young coach and appointed him as his assistant. Again it wasn’t a job overflowing with cash; ‘Rp150,000 petrol money,’ he laughs, ‘but doesn’t matter.’
It was the start of a journey that saw Indonesia win the ASEAN Football Federation Under 19 Championship as well as finish top of the AFC Under 19 Championship Qualifiers. This success was unheard of for generation of football fans and they flocked to the games.
With the break up of that successful side following the finals in Myanmar the coaching duo went their separate ways, Indra to Bali United Pusam and Eko to Mitra Kukar, an unfashionable but fairly well run club in East Kalimantan, as assistant coach. If Eka thought he had arrived he was to be disappointed. Just when you think things are going well football has a way to slapping you in the face again and the suspension of the PSSI saw the ISL halted after just two rounds and saw players and coaches left twiddling their thumbs.
Well, many did that. Eka twiddled his rolodex and an old mate from a previous training course invited him to talk in Bahrain. ‘I’m not here for the money,’ says Eka, his eyes as ever on the bigger picture. ‘I want the experience from working somewhere new, that is important.’
There is big money in Middle East football. The Qatar Stars League and the Arabian Gulf League are slowly producing sides to compete with the best in China, Japan, South Korea and Australia in the AFC Champions League. They don’t have an Al Ain and they can’t attract the likes of Xavi while at international level they have yet to win a trophy. But as the experiences of the coaches mentioned earlier testify it does offer the talented and the ambition an opportunity to burnish their credentials in a competitive league and that is what Eka is after. And with that it was time to leave.
With his positive outlook the young coach is embracing life in Bahrain, learning the language and of course finding time to hang out with the local Indonesian culture though he does balk a bit at the prices for a rendang! It has been a bumpy road so far for him, one that has seen zero encouragement from his own FA to losing his family to having his first job in the big time end almost before it had started but he remains optimistic and he remains fixed on his goal. ‘I want to learn.’AFC Success Does Little To Thrill Fans In Kuwait
After the AFC Cup Semi Finals 1st Leg both Kuwaiti sides seem to have one foot in the final for the second year running continuing their fine tradition in the continental competition. Kuwait SC, who overcame Tajikistan side Istiklol 4-0 last night have won the trophy three times (2009, 2012, 2013) while Qadsia who must carry a narrower 3-1 margin to Malaysia for their second leg against Johor Darul Tazim are the reigning champions.
For all the success the Kuwaiti sides are enjoying in the prestigious competitions, why the apathy from their fans? Talk to most Kuwaitis and they say they 'support' either Qadsia, Kuwait SC or Al Arabi with the vast majority opting for Qadsia. But that 'support' doesn't necessarily translate into bums on seats on match day.
Last season I saw Qadsia take on Kuwait SC in a pretty important Premier League game at Qadsia's stadium in Hawally. The crowd was around the 5-6,000 mark for a game featuring two sides still in with a shout of the title. Not long after and another top three clash saw around 25,000 witness a 0-0 draw between Al Arabi and Qadsia.
When Qadsia played Al Ittihad in the AFC Cup Final back in 2010 in Kuwait the crowd was in excess of 58,000. Yet when they came up against the Malaysians around 1,500 bothered turning up. Yet even that number dwarves the 350 estimated to have watched Kuwait SC last night. 350 for a semi final in a competition they have won three times!
What is behind this apparent apathy towards football? Kuwait boasts a fine pedigree, even reaching the World Cup back in 1982, at a time when they were the undoubted power in the Gulf region. Those days are long gone and it seems years of political infighting behind the scenes have paid the toll for fan apathy on the terraces. In recent years the Kuwait FA have been banned twice by FIFA, yep twice as often as Indonesia, and many have now turned their back on the game.
There are echos of Singapore in all this. Singaporeans pine for the glory days of the early 90s when players like Fandi Ahmad, V Sundramoorthy and Abbas Saad won numerous titles for the Lions as well as helping old ladies cross the road and carving their names into the nation's psyche. Those days are long gone and the 90s generation are stuck with their memories and what they feel is an inferior product poorly produced and presented by those in authority.
Likewise Kuwaitis look back fondly on the 1970s, early 80s when they hoovered up trophies like the AFC Asian Cup as well as taking a vice like grip on the Gulf Cup of Nations which they won six times across the decades.
October could see an interesting time for football. After playing their opening World Cup Qualifier against Myanmar was shifted to Qatar it looks like home ties against South Korea and Lebanon will now be played in Kuwait but at the Kuwait SC Stadium and not the much bigger Jabar International Stadium which hosted Qadsia's AFC Cup Final appearance back in 2010. And of course we are halfway towards a second successive all Kuwaiti AFC Cup Final which could well be played on home turf. The Premier League is also slated to kick off in the middle of the month. A busy football calender for sure and an important one. But will the fans care?
For all the success the Kuwaiti sides are enjoying in the prestigious competitions, why the apathy from their fans? Talk to most Kuwaitis and they say they 'support' either Qadsia, Kuwait SC or Al Arabi with the vast majority opting for Qadsia. But that 'support' doesn't necessarily translate into bums on seats on match day.
Last season I saw Qadsia take on Kuwait SC in a pretty important Premier League game at Qadsia's stadium in Hawally. The crowd was around the 5-6,000 mark for a game featuring two sides still in with a shout of the title. Not long after and another top three clash saw around 25,000 witness a 0-0 draw between Al Arabi and Qadsia.
When Qadsia played Al Ittihad in the AFC Cup Final back in 2010 in Kuwait the crowd was in excess of 58,000. Yet when they came up against the Malaysians around 1,500 bothered turning up. Yet even that number dwarves the 350 estimated to have watched Kuwait SC last night. 350 for a semi final in a competition they have won three times!
What is behind this apparent apathy towards football? Kuwait boasts a fine pedigree, even reaching the World Cup back in 1982, at a time when they were the undoubted power in the Gulf region. Those days are long gone and it seems years of political infighting behind the scenes have paid the toll for fan apathy on the terraces. In recent years the Kuwait FA have been banned twice by FIFA, yep twice as often as Indonesia, and many have now turned their back on the game.
There are echos of Singapore in all this. Singaporeans pine for the glory days of the early 90s when players like Fandi Ahmad, V Sundramoorthy and Abbas Saad won numerous titles for the Lions as well as helping old ladies cross the road and carving their names into the nation's psyche. Those days are long gone and the 90s generation are stuck with their memories and what they feel is an inferior product poorly produced and presented by those in authority.
Likewise Kuwaitis look back fondly on the 1970s, early 80s when they hoovered up trophies like the AFC Asian Cup as well as taking a vice like grip on the Gulf Cup of Nations which they won six times across the decades.
October could see an interesting time for football. After playing their opening World Cup Qualifier against Myanmar was shifted to Qatar it looks like home ties against South Korea and Lebanon will now be played in Kuwait but at the Kuwait SC Stadium and not the much bigger Jabar International Stadium which hosted Qadsia's AFC Cup Final appearance back in 2010. And of course we are halfway towards a second successive all Kuwaiti AFC Cup Final which could well be played on home turf. The Premier League is also slated to kick off in the middle of the month. A busy football calender for sure and an important one. But will the fans care?
