We Are The Reds

for those not aware a number of Indonesians were tired off the incompetence of the PSSI and the corruption of its President Nurdin Halid (who was re-elected despite being in jail for corruption at the time) and they started a rebel league, the Indonesian Premier League. The IPL had three super league sides join it and 16 other clubs were formed. Unlike the Super League they all have to operate without government subsidy. FIFA is not pleased and Halid has apparently promised all 3rd division clubs that support him promotion to the 2nd division. This all largely came about due to a "Crawford Commission' type of report which the PSSI completely ignored.

It will be interesting to see where this all leads however clearly many Indonesians have had enough.

Interesting name on the squad list of the West Papuan team:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenderawasih_F.C.

Quite a few Aussies in the new league, actually. According to Aleks Vrteski (who is playing for Solo FC) Gaspar, Jukic, Micevski, Karlovic, Quincroft & Maguire 'to name a few' are all playing over there.

Quite a few Aussies in the new league, actually. According to Aleks Vrteski (who is playing for Solo FC) Gaspar, Jukic, Micevski, Karlovic, Quincroft & Maguire 'to name a few' are all playing over there.

I take it you watched his YouTube interview?


There are some good players coming into the league; Lee Hendrie (formally of Aston Villa) just signed for Bandung FC last week. Great signing, I feel, because he's still got a hell of a foot on him.


It's a really interesting situation, because the clubs are obviously making signings to become a fairly exciting and reputable league in Asia (at least the best in ASEAN, anyway) and there are some pretty serious sponsors (big names including Coca-Cola, Rexona and Blackberry), but the fact that they're completely separate from their own federation means they are set entirely local, unless they play regular off-season friendlies with overseas clubs. No possibility of Champions League would, you'd think, hinder their ability to attract players, so you have to wonder what kind of money they're throwing about to get some of these (including some important Indonesian internationals).

I take it you watched his YouTube interview?

Nah, that came from a tweet.



Last I heard (via the Beeb) was that FIFA were threatening sanctions against the IPL. So presumably there's a risk that players who join may be frozen out of internationals etc?

They also run the risk of deportation, which can in turn prevent them from playing in other countries. (Visa rejections, etc.)

... Just makes the league even more exciting, doesn't it?

Karlovic? As in Ivan or a different one?

Could see a Karlovic on any of the team lists...

some of the comments in the article on the IPL at Goal.com make for very interesting reading indeed

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editor ... e-but-they

Lee Hendrie got himself injured in his first game for Bandung.

End of the PLI.

and it's over, finally even FIFA has had enough of the PSSI.

FIFA has confirmed the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) are no longer fit to govern and have removed the PSSI's executive committee, replacing it with a Normalisation Committee made up of select Indonesian football personalities.

In a letter to the PSSI, FIFA also barred controversial president Nurdin Halid from running for a position within the association, along with Nirwan Bakrie and his opponents Arifin Panigoro and George Toisutta.

Halid, who infamously ran football within the country from a prison cell, recently made headlines along with his governing body after a PSSI congress turned to farce when delegates stormed in claiming their names had been excluded from the guest list. FIFA observer Frank van Hattum was also prevented from attending

The future is still unclear though

The Normalisation Committee installed in place of the PSSI will now organise elections in the wake of the recent failure, as well as be tasked with bringing under PSSI control the Indonesian Premier League, set up as an alternative to the Indonesian Super League

It will be interesting to see what the end result is. Given the Super League is run with a lot of state subsidies whilst the IPL is self funded you'd have to think the latter model has the best chance of prevailing.

Regardless, the removal of Halid and his cronies is great news for Indonesian football players and fans.

In a letter to the PSSI, FIFA also barred controversial president Nurdin Halid from running for a position within the association, along with Nirwan Bakrie and his opponents Arifin Panigoro and George Toisutta.

The Bakrie's are the family who 442 have recently been reporting are keen to splash their cash on an A-League team...

By all accounts he's crooked as they come.

It will be interesting to see what the end result is. Given the Super League is run with a lot of state subsidies whilst the IPL is self funded you'd have to think the latter model has the best chance of prevailing.

I could see them ultimately running two leagues simultaneously, like a MLS/USL or J. League/JFL-type scenario, with obvious exceptions taking into account their own situation.

But still, a victory for the IPL is a victory for football in Indonesia... hopefully. We'll definitely find out in the long run how this all pans out.