Gelora and Pelita in Galatama's final

JAKARTA (JP): Gelora Dewata, a club based in Bali, will challenge the defending champion Pelita Jaya from Jakarta in the final match of Galatama -- Indonesia's semi-professional soccer league.

The match is scheduled to take place at the Sriwedari Stadium in Solo, Central Java.

Interestingly, the two teams just met each other in the semi- final in which Pelita Jaya lost 1-0. The quick rematch is possible because the tournament is arranged under the round-robin system.

Antara reported analysts' consensus that during the semi- final, Pelita "chose to loose" to Gelora Dewata to prevent meeting more formidable opponents such as East Kalimantan's Pupuk Kaltim or North Sumatra's Medan Jaya in the final.

Pelita Jaya has been picked by pundits to win the league again.

Galatama has notorious reputation as providing sport for bookies and gamblers rather than soccer-players. (hdj)