Soccer is undoubtedly the most popular sport in Indonesia, but the beautiful game can get extremely ugly when it comes to local rivalries, particularly that of Jakarta’s Persija and Bandung’s Persib.
Tensions between the two sets of supporters have been sky high in recent years, to the point that the police are pulling no stops in keeping the matchup between the traditional rivals at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta — which kicks off at 3:30pm today — secure.
According to the Jakarta Metro Police, 12,954 personnel have been deployed to GBK and its surrounding areas to prevent any acts of violence and hooliganism, as well as to direct traffic in what is surely going to be a congested area, especially considering that the 77,000-seater GBK is expected to be full.
Violence between Persija and Persib fans is so depressingly common that the police saw fit to remind supporters not to bring weapons into the stadium.
“Don’t bring sharp weapons and fireworks that can be used to shoot at people like rockets. Avoid all that,” Jakarta Metro Police Spokesman Argo Yuwono told reporters today, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
“We have to show that we are good hosts, so that we can be an example for others in the world of Indonesian soccer.”
However, it’s likely that there won’t be too many Persib fans in attendance at GBK today. Previously, both sets of supporter groups agreed with authorities that, for security reasons, Persib fans must remain in Bandung, where large screens have been set up in the city for them to watch the match.
The intense rivalry between the two teams claimed a victim last year when a Persija fan named Haringga Sirla was killed just before a match between Persija and Persib in Bandung by a group of Persib fans. With Haringga’s death still fresh in the memories of Persija fans, Persib coach also joined the authorities in warning Persib fans from going to GBK today.
Today’s match between Persija and Persib is the first to be played in GBK Stadium — Persija’s home ground — since 2014 as games between the two rivals took place elsewhere for security reasons during that time.
Reader Interactions