'Detikcom' adds Euro 2000 reports

JAKARTA (JP): Soccer enthusiasts can surf the Internet to search for newly updated news on Euro 2000 by visiting www.detik.com for its special feature "Crazy Euro 2000" (Gila Piala Eropa 2000).

PT Agrakom, the owner of Detikcom online, launched the page on Thursday to quench the thirst of online surfers with reports of the matches and psychological warfare during the European soccer championship, to be staged from June 10 to July 2 in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Budiono Darsono, content director of the website, said the page was designed for soccer fans who wished to surf the Internet for news.

The site offers breaking news to allow print media to report the whole story and provide analyses of competing teams and matches.

"What we provide on Detikcom is synergetic with the print media. We offer the breaking news while the newspapers write analyses of the match. But we're glad if the print media can also benefit from our presentation," he said.

Budiono said the site also provides betting odds, team profiles, chats and discussions and also lucky guesses which offer prize money and cellular phones.

"We make this website in Indonesian language because there are various English-speaking websites that meet the needs of English- speaking surfers," he said.

He said that Detikcom reporters would update page with the latest occurrences during the matches.

He said that his website will not be open for wagering. "The betting here is in the form of polling," he said.

Budiono said that the website also offers prognoses and prophecies of the matches.

"We will ask people from all walks of life, ranging from popular film stars, politicians and even ministers. But all of them have something in common, they are all soccer enthusiasts," he said.

He added that prophecies would come from national fortune- tellers.

Nukman Luthfie, marketing director of PT Agrakom, said that the lucky guesses would be drawn after the matches, and the winners would be announced before the final match.

He said that all participants could change their choices one day before the match. "The computer will record the last choice," he said. (ivy)