Football Racism & Persipura

Dec 15th, 2009, in News, by

A day in Indonesian soccer, locker room rage, racism, Persipura & Arema slug it out.

Persipura JayapuraIn their 9th December away game against Arema Malang reigning league champions Persipura Jayapura complained of racist abuse hurled at them by Arema fans. A team spokesman said

Aremania (Arema supporters) sang racist songs about Papuans, and they threw bottles at the players.

Some Persipura players attempted to confront opposition team fans, but were obstructed by security guards.

Arema Malang LogoLosing 2-1 the Papuan players later took out their frustrations on the locker room facilities at Arema’s stadium, causing about 20 million rupiah’s worth of damage, it is claimed.

Persipura JayapuraOn 12th December the disciplinary committee of the Badan Liga Indonesia (BLI) PSSI handed out a 50 million rupiah fine to Arema over the racial abuse issue and condemned the club to playing one match without spectators, and gate receipts.

The loss of one match’s gate receipts was a stinging blow for Arema boss Abdul Haris:

We average a take of 500 million rupiah per game, but it only costs us about 180 million to put a game on.

Arema MalangThe club known as “Singo Edan” are far from the poor house yet however, with gate receipts for the 2009-2010 season so far estimated by management at around 2 billion rupiah, with 725 million rupiah of this coming from the big clash with heavyweights Persipura alone. Figures are pre-tax, before accounting for operational costs, fines for racism, and damage bills from visiting team vandalism. surabayapost


14 Comments on “Football Racism & Persipura”

  1. diego says:

    What did they sang? (the lyrics). Would love to know.

  2. andy says:

    What year is it now? 2009!! Indonesians, this is disgraceful! In western countries fans get lifetime bans for similar behaviour. Just another reason why Papua should secede as obviously the rank and file Javanese doesn’t respect them.

  3. diego says:

    Hysterical andrea is at it again.

    Why do you have to whine for everything? Get a fcking life.

  4. deta says:

    There is only one word to describe these soccer fans: childish!
    And that applies to you too, Andy, for thinking that these arema fans represent the rank and file Javanese.

  5. Burung Koel says:

    In western countries fans get lifetime bans for similar behaviour.

    Unfortunately, not always the case, but some of the game’s fans are trying to do something about it:

    Kick It Out

    Looking forward to joining the Indonesia branch soon!

  6. Oigal says:

    🙂 Who expected anything different. Soccer is the sport of the mindless mob the world over.

    Although you can be those, brave fans and idiots would not be so brave in Papua, although it would be funny to watch them try.

  7. tomaculum says:

    Why are you wondering about it? In Indonesia is racism still normal and worst. The Papuan (and some other ethnic groups) are for some subhuman being (Untermenschen). And you’ll find the racism not only among the soccer fans. No, sir, the racism of those soccer fans isn’t childish, it is their way to think.

  8. rudis says:

    I truely love football (not soccer) but racism is a serious issue among football hooligans. Juventus hooligans have shown their ugle face again this weekend.

    But in general Indonesia society is deeply racist, with or without football. Everything is divided into ethnicities, thanks to Javanese Orba mentality (and I’m of Javanese descent myself). Sunda vs Jawa, pribumi vs Chinese, Melayu vs Melanesian, it’s apalling really.

  9. deta says:

    It could be their way to think, but soccer fans always present this immature racist behaviour even when they watch the competition between two clubs from the same neighborhood. Maybe part of this is due to what is called mass psychology, where they feel comfortable doing something simply because of the fact that there are many others like themselves doing the same thing.

    Regarding racism, Indonesia has been racist because different races, tribes, and mother tongue languages are something that people have to deal with in everyday life. Despite the fact that this should make people more tolerant toward others, the possibility to have some frictions between different ethnics is very high.

    But if this is said to happen deeply in Indonesia, I disagree, sir. People from other countries have been racist as well. Too much examples to mention, American, Australian, even African who commonly become the ‘victim’ of racism in so called ‘white’ community have been racist toward different tribes in their countries and toward the immigrants.

  10. David says:

    I wonder though whether the Papuans ‘milk’ it a bit. After getting beaten 2-1 it’s nice revenge to smash up the locker room a bit and see a loss of around 500 million rupiah in fines for the team that beat you. I also wonder how the Javanese teams get treated when playing in Jayapura. Maybe the fans don’t sing ‘racist’ chants exactly, but I’m sure they come up with some interesting stuff….Doesn’t justify anything but well.

  11. Burung Koel says:

    I think racist chants should be outlawed, but different sets of supporters taunting each other is an important part of being a fan. Maybe someone out there can tell us some good local ones?

    My all time favourite is what Chilean fans sing to their Bolivian counterparts:

    “Let’s go to the beach.”

    Probably sounds better in Spanish, and it helps to know a bit of 19th century South American history, too.

  12. Ross says:

    The root of the problem is that Indonesia is a country whose diversity is ineradicable. So the inhabitants have to find ways of living with it, which in many cases they don’t or won’t try to do. (though many do, and bravo to them!)
    This is entirely normal, and can be handled over a period of time, probably a long period, as in Switzerland, unless the urge to separatism proves stronger.

    What amazes me is the way some Western countries still acclaim diversity as a consummation devoutly to be sought. Instead of requiring immigrants to assimilate, they are encouraged to cling to their cultures of origin.

    This has been a millstone around Canada’s neck, and Britain’s too. In the former, a reasonably happy land with two founding cultures was transformed by Trudeau into a mosaic of squabbling ethnicities, while in the UK recent revelations have let the native peoples know how the establishment deliberately drove the dagger of multicult into the country’s heart.

    As for the USA, check out the internet for the stunning tale of how the Ford Foundation more or less invented then imposed multiculturalism without democratic consent.

    And BTW, a Merry Christmas to all at IM.

  13. Oigal says:

    Probably sounds better in Spanish, and it helps to know a bit of 19th century South American history, too.

    Ok, you got me..What’s the inference here then BK? I admit my SA knowledge is weaker than a Pancho Villa movie…

  14. Burung Koel says:

    The War of the Pacific (1879 – 1904), where Chile took Bolivia’s remaining Pacific coastline.

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