Makassar welcomes home soccer heroes

Makassar welcomes home soccer heroes

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): Thousands of people in the
capital of South Sulawesi jammed the roads on Thursday welcoming
their heroes bringing home the Bank Mandiri national soccer
league championship. "The Old Brothers" team turned the
Hasanuddin international airport into a red sea of fanatical
supporters.

Fans began arriving at 7:00 a.m. local time to welcome their
team, which defeated Pupuk Kaltim of Bontang, East Kalimantan, 3-
2 in Sunday's final. The team, coached by former national team
coach Henk Wullems of the Netherlands and assistant Syamsuddin
Umar, arrived at 9:45 a.m.

After the Garuda airplane touched down at the airport,
thousands of people tried to approach the team members, specially
top striker Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto. Luckily, tight security
managed to save the players from being mauled.

South Sulawesi Governor HZB Palaguna greeted the team, saying
that it would increase the province's pride in national events.

"This is the first title earned by South Sulawesi since the
league kicked off in 1994. We are very proud of our players," he
said. PSM's last victory was in the 1992 league in the
Association Competition.

The joy included the naming of PSM midfielder Bima Sakti as
the best player in the league.

PSM players led the parade, about five kilometers long,
through the city causing a total traffic jam for about one hour.

PSM team manager Kadir Halid expressed his gratitude to
Makassar soccer fans for the celebration.

"This celebration shows how much they appreciate the players'
efforts to win the league champion title. The President's Cup
belongs to the people of South Sulawesi," he said. (27)