All-Stars match aims to entertain Proliga fans

All-Stars match aims to entertain Proliga fans

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A volleyball All-Stars match will be held in Bandung on Sunday,
but the caretaker coaches are doubtful whether they will order
their respective teams to battle it out.

The match will be the prelude to the 2002 grand finals of the
inaugural national volleyball professional league, locally known
as Proliga, the following week.

Stars from Jakarta-based clubs will play against those from
outside Jakarta. The participants, each side fielding 12 players,
have been picked based on their performance in regular matches.

However, while it aims to provide fans with some pre-final
fun, the Bandung contest could probably lose its sporting
attraction due to the absence of prizes.

Fears of players being injured must also be overshadowing the
coaches whose teams will feature in the April 7 finals at the
Bung Karno Indoor Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta.

The final will feature Surabaya Flame against Bandung Tectona
in the men's competition and Gresik Phonska against Jakarta Monas
in the women's.

"We should be motivated to win if we want to offer an
attractive game to spectators. But we don't have to go all out
for a real battle because it is only an exhibition game," Cahya
Azis, from the organizing committee, told reporters in a media
conference here on Wednesday.

He was responding to Tengku Djohan, who inquired whether he
would be in for a serious battle. Tengku, who is the coach of
Jakarta Phinisi, has been assigned to lead the Jakarta-based
women's stars.

Nandi Nata, the Jakarta Monas coach, who is to guide the
Jakarta-based men's team in Bandung, looked worried about his own
players and warned against fielding them full-time.

"I want Tengku to rotate players during the match," he said.

Mashudi and Jeffrey Walandaw will coach the men's and women's
teams respectively from outside Jakarta.