Jakartan's team spirit

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.