Indonesian football showed its ugly side in early October. At that time, 131 people died after a game. The German professional Hanno Behrens has not regretted his move to Persija Jakarta.
The entrance gates became a trap in the stadium disaster in Malang. (Picture from October 5)
When German footballer Hanno Behrens arrived at Jakarta Airport in July, he got a taste of what to expect in his new home of Indonesia. Hundreds of fans greeted him euphorically. They pulled out their smartphones and started singing. The security personnel had to shield the 32-year-old new signing from the traditional club Persija Jakarta.
In a conversation on Whatsapp, Behrens raves about the football-mad fans in Indonesia. “All the players know them. Everywhere I go, they want to take a picture of me. The stadiums are full. The fans raise the alarm. The atmosphere is world class.»
German soccer player Hanno Behrens arrives at the airport in Jakarta.
Behrens was not used to so much euphoria in his old football homeland. He has never won any major national or international titles. He gained his first experience as a professional soccer player at Hamburger SV, after which he went to Nuremberg via Darmstadt. He played for the Franks for six years and rose to the highest German league as captain of the team. After a year at Hansa Rostock, he seized the opportunity to play abroad. He moved to Persija Jakarta. The club plays in the top Indonesian league and is coached by German Thomas Doll.
Law enforcement officers fired 11 canisters of tear gas into the crowd
League 1 is currently on hold. At the beginning of October, 131 people, including at least 33 children and young people, died during a mass panic after a football game in the province of East Java. It is one of the worst disasters in the history of world football. Behrens and his teammates were shocked. “We were in the hotel at the time preparing for an away game. After the tragedy, there was no other topic of conversation. It was clear to us that the game would be on hold for the time being.”
Angry fans stormed the pitch after the match in Malang between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya, which the home team lost 3-2. It was Arema’s first home loss to Persebaya Surabaya in 23 years. The fans threatened players from their team and the police.
The overstrained law enforcement officers fired a total of eleven canisters tear gas into the crowd. In their panic, the people fleeing trampled each other to death. The world football association Fifa actually bans the use of tear gas in stadiums. Initial investigations have shown that the organizers of the game in Malang were not aware of Fifa’s recommendations.
Hooligans and violence are the order of the day in Indonesian football
Behrens had good experiences in Indonesia before the league was suspended. It does suffer from the tropical climate and the special treatment that foreign players receive in the league. They are often man-marked.
The central midfielder with the number 10 still scored three goals in eight games. He never had a queasy feeling during the games, even if the stadiums sometimes took some getting used to. He is spoiled by the modern arenas in Germany. So far, Behrens has not heard anything about the riots surrounding the games in the top Indonesian league. Law enforcement officers shield the teams on their way to the stadiums.
However, violence and a hooligan scene are part of it Indonesian football. On the Facebook site «Save our Soccer» one can read that in the past 28 years before the most recent disaster, 78 people died during football matches in Indonesia.
Football in Indonesia is a dangerous thing for the fans.
This fanaticism has its roots in the history of Indonesian football. The fans of the clubs have created their own social identities, through which they distinguish themselves from other camps and through which club fanaticism thrives. Ethnic and geographic rivalries between the teams’ supporter groups continue to intensify. Despite the problems, the clubs do not cultivate the fan culture.
They are considered particularly brutal and fanatical Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya supporters. There have been numerous deaths and injuries in games between the two clubs in recent years. The sad climax came at the beginning of October.
Even Afghanistan is ranked better than Indonesia
The most popular sport in Indonesia is badminton. The popularity is not surprising: 21 of the 37 medals won at the Olympic Games so far have been won by badminton players. Indonesian football, on the other hand, is notoriously unsuccessful. Until now, Indonesia has only participated in one World Cup: 1938 as the Dutch East Indies.
At that time, the country was still a Dutch colony. Since then it’s only been downhill. Indonesia is 155th in the FIFA world rankings, just behind Afghanistan.
Behrens certifies that his teammates are fit and technically versed. However, the players lack tactical understanding. “They don’t always make the right decisions, they make strange ones.” The tactical multiplication table of football is already being taught to the little ones in Europe. In Indonesia, no great importance has been attached to this so far. But that should change.
Born in Elmshorn near Hamburg, Behrens sees light at the end of the tunnel. “Indonesian football is developing. The youth teams achieve better results than before at international tournaments. You improve the conditions and put more emphasis on the training of the players. »
After the tragedy in Malang, it was initially feared that Fifa could withdraw Indonesia from hosting the U-20 World Cup. The tournament with 24 countries will take place in May and June next year. Fifa President Gianni Infantino has since assured Indonesian President Joko Widodo that his country will remain the host. At the meeting of Infantino and Widodo last Tuesday in Indonesia, it was also announced that the stadium in Malang would be demolished and rebuilt according to Fifa standards.