Persija hopes to profit from hosting league
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta-based club Persija hopes to profit when it hosts the quarterfinals of the Bank Mandiri national soccer league at Senayan Stadium next week.
Persija chairman Ahmadin Ahman said on Wednesday serving as host offered a chance for his club to earn income from sponsorships and ticket sales. Tickets for the three days of matches are priced at between Rp 20,000 (US$2.30) and Rp 100,000.
"We have never earned a profit from hosting soccer events. Now it's time for us to get a big return," he said during a media conference at Persija's office.
Ahmadin was optimistic the matches from July 9 to July 13 would attract many spectators despite the relatively high price of the tickets.
"I think the prices are reasonable for Jakartans, especially soccer fans. Tickets are priced at Rp 15,000 for members of the fan clubs of those teams competing in the quarterfinals. We will also offer a 10 percent discount to those who buy tickets in bulk."
About 60,000 tickets will be printed each day of the competition to avoid counterfeiting and sold at cafes and the state-run PD Pasar Jayas at Jatinegara, Senen, Kramat Jati and Blok M.
Ahmadin said Persija was spending some Rp 600 million to stage the matches. "The biggest portion is going to security," he said, adding that 1,500 security personnel, including 750 police officers and 300 personnel from the Army and Military Police, would be deployed to safeguard the event.
Persija executive chairman Tonny Adiputra said the club would provide buses to transport spectators to the five mayoralties in Jakarta.
"Spectators will not have to walk to Jl. Sudirman to look for buses. We have provided 25 buses in front of Century Atlet hotel near the stadium to bring them home. However, they still have to pay the bus fare," he said.
Persija is hosting the Group A quarterfinal matches, while PSM Makassar is hosting the Group B matches at Mattoangin Stadium. Group A consists of Arema Malang, Persikota Tangerang and Pelita Surakarta, while Group B includes Persijatim of East Jakarta, Pupuk Kaltim of East Kalimantan and PSMS Medan.
Persija team manager Aang Hamid Suganda said it would require the right strategy for his team to move on to the semifinals.
"The four clubs competing here are of equal quality, so coaches need to find the right strategy to win. I think all the coaches have faced each other and observed how each team plays. I also hope that there will be no delays as a result of unruly supporters," he said.
He also said Persija had a solid defense and midfield, and that its top young striker, Bambang Pamungkas, was a candidate for the Golden Shoes award after scoring 22 goals this season.
Bambang's idol, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto of PSM, is also in the running to finish as the top scorer. Kurniawan, who is under observation at Wijaya Kusuma Sport Campus for his alleged drug addiction, has scored 18 goals.
In Makassar, PSM coach Syamsuddin Umar said he was confident his team could overcome PSMS on Sunday.
"We're sure that we can earn the maximum points in our match against PSMS, which is only ranked fourth in the western division," he was quoted by Antara as saying.
He said his players were in good condition and ready to fight for a semifinal berth.(ivy)
Fixtures (first match held at 5 p.m., second match at 7 p.m. Jakarta Time): Group A (at Senayan Stadium, Jakarta): July 9: Persija vs Arema; Persikota vs Pelita July 11: Arema vs Persikota; Pelita vs Persija July 13: Arema vs Pelita; Persija vs Persikota Group B (at Mattoangin Stadium, Makassar): July 9: Persijatim vs Pupuk Kaltim (PKT); PSM vs PSMS July 11: PSMS vs Persijatim; PKT vs PSM July 13: PSM vs Persijatim; PKT vs PSMS