INDONESIA may be absolutely football mad, but most of its millions of die-hard fans have rarely come closer to the English Premier League than watching their heroes on cable TV.
That may be set to change.
Recent weeks have seen several former English Premier League players make the unexpected move of relocating to Indonesia.
Former Chelsea stars Michael Essien and Carlton Cole, as well as former Stoke City forward Osaze Odemwingie, have all moved to play in the Southeast Asian nation’s Liga 1.
Troubled past, brighter future
Indonesia’s national football league has had a rocky history. It has long been marred by corruption, weak management, poor security at matches and rampant football hooliganism, which at times leaves supporters dead.
The year 2015 saw a major row between the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) and Indonesia’s Sports and Youth Ministry over which teams were eligible to play in the Indonesian Super League, resulting in the domestic football season being cancelled.
To make matters worse, the PSSI was then suspended by Fifa, the world governing body of football. The PSSI chairman La Nyalla Mattalitti was subsequently arrested on charges of corruption in mid-2016 after hiding in Singapore and Malaysia for two months.
“It doesn’t matter if we are absent from international competitions for a while as long as we can win big in the future,” said President Joko Widodo at that time. “I’m confident when the reforms are made, we will be moving forward.”
Indonesia’s national team has also historically underperformed on the world stage. However, it recently came close to winning the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup. Thailand narrowly beat the underdogs in the final on aggregate 3-2.
At the beginning of 2017, the Indonesian Super League was relaunched and rebranded to Liga 1. It secured sponsor partnerships with GO-JEK and Traveloka – two big-name Indonesian companies in urban transport and travel bookings, respectively.
The latest signings of world-famous international players to Indonesian clubs also bode well for the league’s future.
From West London to West Java
Persib Bandung announced in March Chelsea superstar Ghana’s Michael Essien would be joining the club. Nicknamed “The Bison”, the 34-year-old turned down a contract with Australia’s Melbourne Victory to move to Indonesia.
Essien spent eight seasons at Chelsea, with whom he won the European Champions League and two English Premier League titles. He has played for a number of other iconic clubs including AC Milan, Olympique Lyonnais and Real Madrid.
His wife Akosua Puni Essien recently bought a third-tier Italian football club called FC Como at an auction for €237,000 (US$253,000).
Speaking on the signing, Essien said: “Hopefully, this is a good beginning for Indonesian football and also for Persib. Thank you for bringing me here. I’m excited and want to give my best.”
“I hope I am the prelude to other world players moving to Indonesia.”
His hopes quickly came true. Fellow Chelsea alumni Carlton Cole, a British national, soon joined Persib Bandung. Cole spent much of his career at Premier League side West Ham United, before playing for Celtic in Glasgow, Scotland and Sacramento United in America’s United Super League.
Dutch-Indonesian Persib player Raphael Maitimo, who also plays for the Indonesian national team, told CNN Indonesia he was “very happy to be playing alongside two world-class players.”
“I am a fan of them. When I was younger, I used to watch Cole and Essien and now I’m in a team with them. I have to work hard with them to see Persib to glory.”
Nigerian striker Osaze Odemwingie, who previously played with Premier League team Stoke City, joined Madura United this week.
Odemwingie has represented Nigeria at two World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations, as well as winning silver at the 2008 Olympics.
Given excitement around the signings, it seems more high-profile internationals may make their way to Indonesia. In its national football league, Indonesia restricts the number of foreign players per team to four including one national of an Asean Football Federation country.
The Liga 1 kicks off on April 15.
Read more at https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/04/english-premier-league-veterans-flock-indonesian-football/#ffYbP6STKM66MXqh.99
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