Awaiting Firm Response from PSSI

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

PSSI chairman Edy Rahmayadi.

Another tragic news has tainted national soccer. The death of soccer fan Haringga Sirla late last week indicates that there is something deeply wrong with our soccer scene.

Soccer matches can cause either joy or sorrow for fans, but the popular sport should never incite violence, whether on or off the field. However, the fact remains that the violent assault that led to Haringga’s death just outside the Bandung Lautan Api Sports Stadium in Bandung was not the first such incident. It will also not be the last, if firm measures are not taken to prevent their reoccurrence.

Haringga, a self-proclaimed “Jakmania” – an ardent fan of Jakarta’s Persija soccer club – was the seventh victim of soccer hooliganism in the past year. His death comes just two months after Muhammad Iqbal, a supporter of Sleman’s PSS soccer club, was also killed when fans of Yogyakarta’s PSIM soccer club brutally assaulted him. Seven soccer fans have been killed since 2012 in brawls involving supporters of Persija and Bandung’s Persib soccer club. In 2012 alone, three bobotoh (die-hard Persib fans) were killed.

The police have responded swiftly to Haringga’s death and named at least eight suspects. A video of the assault, which was uploaded to the web and went viral, helped the police identify Haringga’s attackers. The public is now awaiting a firm response from the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI), the country’s highest authority for the sport, to prevent similar assaults from taking place.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Relatives and neighbors pray on Monday (24/9/2018) over the grave of Sirla Haringga, 23, in Kebulen village of Jatibarang district, Indramayu regency, West Java. Sirla, a supporter of the Persija Jakarta football team, was killed when supporters of the rival team, Persib, assaulted him before the Persija-Persib match on Sunday (23/9) in the Go-Jek Liga 1 competition at Bandung Lautan Api Stadium in Bandung.

The PSSI is accredited by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to organize regular national soccer tournaments and ensure that they are safe. Complete cessation of national soccer tournaments would not be wise. If a moratorium is implemented, it must have a clear time frame as otherwise, too much would be at stake and it would be difficult to rebuild our national soccer league afterwards. Regular and high-quality tournaments are key to our athletes’ development.

On the other hand, previous punishments, including banning supporters from wearing team colors and carrying team paraphernalia to matches, have proven ineffective. Firmer punishments under the authority of PSSI are required, such as forcing clubs to play at empty stadiums to the end of the season. Legal punishment for soccer hooliganism perpetrators could include a lifetime ban from attending matches.

Sanctions like these will serve as valuable lessons for soccer clubs and their supporters. Clubs will be responsible for not only their players, but also their supporters. Sanctioned fan clubs should be required to reach out to all official and non-official members to eradicate the culture of violence. Long-standing rivalries, which have often led supporters to persecute and attack the supporters of other clubs and used to justify the violence, must end.

Barely a month ago, the 2018 Asian Games had succeeded in uniting the nation and making us forget our differences. People flocked to stadiums and supported our national athletes without any fear of supporting different champions. Such sportsmanship, which is the essence of sports, along with the positive values it embodies, is now nowhere to be seen.