Jayapura – The soccer scene in the archipelago is loved by all. Football unites Sabang to Merauke, raises the hopes of young people who want to defend their home region let alone their country, raises trust between one another, and teaches cooperation and the spirit of cooperation which is the identity of this nation.
Football in Indonesia can make the old feel free and the young feel passionate, this sport never recedes from the surface of the Sports world. How much do you know about soccer clubs from Cendrawasih Island? Among them are Persipura, Persiwa, Persidafon, Persiram, and Perseru. These clubs have an important role in gracing the football scene in Indonesia.
Persipura Jayapura, in the 2014 season, once brought the name of Indonesian football to the Asian Champions League, namely the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), achievement of the Black Pearl successfully won the Indonesian League 1 four times. Persipura fans often call their favorite team the General.
A FIERCE DUEL BETWEEN TWO CLUBS FROM THE ISLAND OF PARADISE
Persipura and Persiwa became two clubs that stole the public’s attention in the Indonesian soccer universe, this derby took place at Mandala Stadium. Indonesian football fans nicknamed Persiwa’s home ground, the Wamena Education Stadium, ‘La Paz Indonesia’ because Persiwa’s pride stadium is located in the high mountains. It is known that La Paz is the highest stadium in Bolivia, South America.
Persiwa’s success in the 2008/2009 season which was once the runner-up of the Indonesia Super League or ISL and Persipura came out as ISL champions in the 2008/2009 season. Not stopping there, Persiwa’s success continued until the 2010 Inter Islan Cup as runner-up in 2010.
Because of the achievements of the two Papuan clubs in the 2008/2009 season, they were declared qualified to represent Indonesia in the AFC Cup 2009/2010 season. Persipura at that time competed in the Asian Champion in Group F with Japanese club Kashima Antlers, South Korean Jeonbuk Motors, and Chinese football club Chanchung Yatai.
Persipura competed at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on February 23, 2010, against South Korean club Jeonbuk Motors. Despite the crushing defeat 1-4. But Persipura coach at the time, Jacksen F Tiago, admitted that the defeat was a valuable lesson for the team nicknamed the Black Pearl going forward. In the end, failed to qualify for Group F Champion Asia (LCA) season 2010.
The same thing also happened to the Mountain Storm club, Persiwa Wamena, at the AFC Cup event in Grub F AFC Cup 2010. Club Group F contains South China Hong Kong. VB Sports Maldives, and Muangthong United Thailand. Persiwa also failed to qualify for the Group F preliminaries at that time because they lost to clubs from East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Persiwa’s assistant manager at the time, Agus Santoso, also admitted that this was the club’s first appearance nicknamed the Mountain Storm at the second level of this Asian club, and tried to do his best.
Persiwa’s achievements eventually stalled at the second level of the 2010 AFC, while Persipura went on to succeed at the AFC level until entering the semi-final round. In the last eight, they lost against the club from Iraq, Arbil FC.
The first leg lost 0-1 and the second leg lost 2-1, losing 3-1 on aggregate. Boaz Solosa and friends stopped in the last eight or quarter-finals. Persipura’s achievements in AFC 2024 are increasing, by defeating Kuwait SC with an aggregate goal of 8-4, when playing in Jayapura the 2013 AFC champions were defeated with a fairly landslide score, 6-1.
Although Pesipura won 8-4 on aggregate goals over the club from Kuwait, Persipura’s steps stopped in the semifinals of the AFC Cup. Persipura lost 10-2 on aggregate to Al-Qadsia, in the first leg giving up 2-4 and in the second meeting losing 0-6 to Al-Qadsia. The Black Pearl’s defeat against West Asian clubs, especially Kuwait and Iraq, has shown that Indonesian football, especially from Papua, is still difficult to beat clubs from the Middle East. Even the Indonesian national team match in the Asian Cup was also defeated by Iraq with a score of 3-1.
This is the track record of two Papuan clubs, as Indonesians, especially football lovers, we must appreciate their achievements in the Asian arena.
Hopefully, in the years to come, it will continue to emerge and make this country proud in the international arena.