Milan-Persib soccer match arouses controversy
JAKARTA (JP): The torrent of goals conceded by amateur intercity champion Persib Bandung in its friendly match against AC Milan has aroused controversy about whether the West Javanese side deserved to tackle the soccer giant.
Former national coach Sinyo Aliandu criticized the idea of pitting the amateur champion against the world-rated squad, saying that both teams would get nothing from the one-sided battle.
Star-studded Milan overpowered its Indonesian rivals 8-0, and could have made it 10-0, in their match at Senayan stadium on Saturday.
Without any doubt, Milan lived up to its promise before the match that it would play seriously and show its class. Persib, which had earlier admitted to having no hopes for anything more than good experience in Saturday's match, made the prediction come true.
"Poor Persib. They looked as if a student who swallowed the materials for a lesson their mind could not comprehend," said Sinyo. Sinyo was not the only one to feel sorry about the decision to make Persib Milan's punching bag.
Many soccer fans in the 80,000 crowd on hand jeered at Bandung's players for their inability to answer Milan's attacking play. Instead, they cheered the dream team and asked for more goals.
Sinyo suggested that PSSI should invite regional competition if it wants to test how far national soccer has progressed. "Once we can beat Asia;s best teams, we deserve to tackle the world's best," he said.
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said the trouncing of Persib showed that the quality of national soccer continues to bring up the rear of the soccer world,
"That was all the Bandung players could do. Milan were faster and stronger than them after all," he said.
However, Hayono denied that Persib did not deserve the match against the soccer giant, which has won all major titles in European and world soccer championships like the Champions Cup and the Toyota Cup, symbol of world interclub supremacy.
"Persib is currently the team with the best management," Hayono said, adding that the rare opportunity was a fair reward for Persib's hard-work and high standards.
Far from being upset by the crushing of Persib, however, the minister said he enjoyed the match. "Goals are what the crowd expect to see in a soccer match," he said.
He also believed national footballers could learn a lot from Milan's superb performance. "Our coaches need to work harder and harder to make up an admirable national team," he said.
Persib accepted a Rp 15 million (US$7,000) offer by the organizers to play AC Milan. The organizers later increased the match fee to Rp 25 million ($11,700) following wide criticism over Persib's "cheap price." Milan received $265,000 to appear at Senayan stadium.
Homework
Chairman of the All Indonesia Football Federation (PSSI) Azwar Anas agreed that the national soccer body has a lot of homework to do to improve the quality of national soccer.
"Bringing the world's best soccer clubs here is one of our ways to meet the expectations," Azwar said. The chairman, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare, indicated that PSSI will invite more foreign clubs. The Australian national team is scheduled to arrive here for the next friendly match next month.
Promoter Eddy Sofyan also strongly defended his choice of Persib instead of the Liga Selection as AC Milan's rivals.
"Who can guarantee that AC Milan will not be able to thrash Liga Selection just as bad as it crushed Bandung?" he rhetorically asked inquiring newsmen.
Milan will have another friendly match in Surabaya, the capital of East Java, at Tambaksari stadium today, before leaving for a holiday in Bali. Milan's next summer tour stop will be in China on June 12, where the soccer giant is scheduled to play three matches. (hdj/amd)