Classic Rivalries Will Enliven Indonesia's Football Atmosphere: PSSI Chairman
Jakarta. Edy Rahmayadi, chairman of the Indonesian Football Association, or PSSI, believes the country's legendary football clubs should be supported to spur greater excitement among fans and encourage a livelier atmosphere during matches.
Edy said classic rivalries between old clubs such as Persib Bandung, Persebaya Surabaya and PSMS Medan, should be reproduced to create feelings of nostalgia of the time when Indonesian football still operated as a union, which had a lesser degree of privatization.
The serving Indonesian Military (TNI)general was quoted as saying on Persib's website that he believes fans would cheer louder when seeing classic matches on television.
"Persib's friendly against PSMS was purposely produced to see their classic rivalry again," he said after witnessing the match at Teladan Stadium in Medan, North Sumatra, on Sunday (26/03).
"I want to awaken Indonesian football's passion. Like in Medan, which in my view has lots of potential [players]," said Edy, who took over the PSMS management in 2015 when he was the military commander in Bukit Barisan.
The hosts held Persib to a goalless draw in their exhibition match on Sunday. The 2014 champion Persib plays in the top-tier Liga 1, while PSMS takes part in the second-tier Liga 2 this season.
"I believe a league will have strong engagement from fans if legendary clubs such as Persib, Persebaya and PSMS compete in the same tier in 2018," he said.
Edy, an avid football fanatic, was elected as PSSI chairman in November last year. Since then, he has brought several changes to Indonesian football, such as rebranding the league as Liga 1 and Liga 2 and signing former Spain national youth team coach Luis Milla Aspas in January to train the Indonesian national team.
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