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.