Bangkok Bank beats Persib 1-0

JAKARTA (JP): Bangkok Bank scored a late goal to gain a consolation win over Indonesian league champion Persib Bandung 1- 0 at the Siliwangi stadium in the Asian Champions' Cup 1995 East Asia group in Bandung, West Java, yesterday.

Bangkok Bank's Amarit struck the lone goal during a scrimmage just half a minute before regulation time ended, forcing host Persib to scramble aggressively in the dying seconds.

Persib's coach Indra Tohir, who was named Asian Football Confederation's coach of the month early this week, said after the match that the Bangkok side performed better football. "We could not find our touch during the match," he admitted.

He said that the important thing for Persib was that his squad make it to the second round.

Persib advanced to the next round on the basis of the goal difference rule. The Bandung side surprised Bangkok Bank 2-0 in their first leg match in Bangkok on Sept. 16.

Persib's success, however, was marred by a flare-up involving the club's chairman, Wahyu Hamijaya, and the press. Wahyu lost his temper because local journalists had printed Bandung players' complaints over training conditions before their departure to Bangkok. Wahyu reportedly blamed his players for complaining so publicly.

During a ceremony held at the Bandung's mayoralty to welcome the team returning from Bangkok, Wahyu, who is also Bandung's mayor, blamed the press for reporting the news. In response to Wahyu's angry remarks, a number of media have decided not to cover Persib's matches any longer.

Wahyu said that he will let the press boycott his team. "It's the right of the press to boycott us," he said.

"I was being publicly embarrassed through the papers, just because I was angry at a limited group," he defended.

Chairman of the West Java branch of the Indonesian Press Association (PWI), H.M. Ruslan, said that the conflict will be resolved soon with the assistance of the provincial sports governing body. (icn)