We will bury Persija's dream, says PSM
Musthofid The Jakarta Post Jakarta
Reigning champion PSM Makassar has thrown down the gauntlet for Sunday's soccer final at the Bung Karno Stadium, with its manager saying it would deny Persija of its quest to snap its 26- year title drought.
"We will bury their dreams," Kadir Halid said, rising from his seat, his eyes directed toward a group of reporters then across to the Persija officials.
His bullish stance took by surprise those present at the press conference at the headquarters of the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI), given that previously both teams had been quite reserved in assessing their respective chances.
But Kadir cut short the tense atmosphere. Instead, he suddenly made a compromise gesture.
"The two teams are evenly balanced in term of skills and teamwork. What will be decisive in the match, I guess, will be how tough their mental shape is," he said.
Both teams last met in the final eight round-robin stage in Makassar last week, the match won by Persija 1-0.
Coach Syamsudin Umar fended off questions that he probably feared might have led to an exposure of team tactics. Again he opted for generalized soccer rhetoric, when asked about his plans for the match.
"Speaking about who will come out as the winner is indispensable to the field of professionalism. To be a professional the player must possess skills, competitiveness and attitude," he said.
Sunday's final will kick off at 4 p.m. and the police will be looking to impose tighter security measures, with President Megawati confirmed to join the spectacle.
After 26 years in championship drought since it last won the 1975 season, Persija says this is an opportunity it cannot afford to miss.
"This is the moment we have been dreaming of for years," said Isman Jasulmei, who deputized for head coach Sofyan Hadi at the meeting.
Both teams said that they had no problems with injuries and were well-prepared for the battle. They had warmup sessions at the PSSI training ground on Saturday, with PSM in the morning and Persija in the afternoon.
The organizers, who will sell around 60,000 tickets, will provide Rp 75 million in prize money for the winner, with the runner-up receiving Rp 50 million.
Cash prizes are also available for top scorer, best player, and the team that consistently upholds fair play.
While the identity of the best player will not be known until after Sunday's match, the top scorer's prize of Rp 15 million is virtually a certainty for Bako Sadisou.
Barito Putra's Cameroonian tops the scoring list, with 22 goals, which is far more than closest rival Budi Sudarsono of Persija who has netted 17. Although the latter still has a chance of adding to his collection when he puts on his boots -- should he be fielded -- for Persija in Sunday's match, the five-goal gap must surely be too wide for him to overtake.