Jakartan's team spirit

Persija, Jakarta's soccer league, became a national champion on Sunday after it beat Makassar 3-2. It is not a big event for this large capital city, especially when one remembers that this is its fifth win since 1964, with the last one in 1977. During Dutch colonial rule, Jakarta's league -- then called VIJ -- became the national champion three times. Understanding how rare success has been, Governor Sutiyoso awarded Persija Rp 1 billion (US$1,000) this week.

However, three days before the final celebration, Jakarta's citizens had to regretfully witness the supporters of the Surabaya league, who came here by train from East Java, refuse to accept their team's defeat of 2-1 to Persija. On the way home the supporters, whose common sense has long been questioned, went berserk after they left the main stadium and robbed people on the street. Later reports said they not only refused to pay for train tickets, but also destroyed everything on board.

But, nationally speaking, Persija's smile was not as wide as it should have been because Indonesia has often lost on regional soccer fields. In September, this country had to swallow a bitter pill after it was beaten black and blue by Myanmar in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Persija, as a member of the national soccer family, should use every opportunity that comes its way to send its players abroad for training. Any promising player wishing to join a foreign league should take the opportunity, because he will receive not only precious training and experience, but also gain a better sense of professionalism and lose his inferiority complex. And usually, once a foreign-trained player returns home, he inspires his colleagues to play more professionally.

In East Asia, China, Japan and South Korea have taken part in international soccer championships. On the subject of soccer leagues, almost every country around us has its own league which plays well. Japanese player Hidiketochi Nakata has joined AS Roma of Italy.

In the past, local clubs had a tendency to prevent its players from leaving by setting a high price for transfers. This is counterproductive. We need to learn how French player Zenidan Zidan became the most expensive soccer champion in the world after he left his club at home and moved to Juventus and later Real Madrid. Not only is Spain his wife's homeland, but the club bought him at the highest bid.

On the other hand, keeping a player at home will not only spoil him but also make him what people here call a jago kandang (a rooster who fights in his owner's coop). The player tends to enjoy excessive flattery, which makes him arrogant, and live a hedonistic lifestyle, a self-defeating quality.

Jakartans should take Persija's success story as a starting point to learn how to keep their house in good order. A good example was set on Wednesday by the residents of Jl. Jaksa in Central Jakarta, who kept outside elements from wreaking havoc in the area where locals, expatriates and tourists live peacefully. Earlier this year, the citizens of Jakarta also managed to deter Abdurrahman Wahid's supporters from arriving here from East Java to abort the presidential election in an effort to keep the unwanted figure on the presidential seat. Thank God Abdurrahman's men learned to accept that they were thinking the unthinkable and doing the undoable.

All this success is enough to give Jakartans the dignity and pride they need to feel they are in control of this city.