We Are the Champions: Indonesia – 2014 Indonesia Super League – Persib Bandung

THE CLUB

Persatuan Sepak Bola Indonesia Bandung, usually known as Persib or Persib Bandung, was established in 1933 in the city of Bandung after the merger of few clubs, and has won so far 7 Indonesian Championships, but 5 of them were Perserikatan Titles, an amateur competiton that coexisted with another one as the top-tier of the Country.
The official colours are blue and white, while the majority owner is Erick Thohrir, who partially owns FC Inter (Italy) and DC United (USA) as well.

THE STADIUM

Jalak Harupat Soreang Stadium

It was built in 2003 and renovated in 2009, when Persib Bandung started playing here.
It can hold 45.000 spectators, mostly seated but not covered.
It’s currently shared with Pelita Bandung Raya, a team playing in ISL and Persikab Bandung, a club playing in the third tier.

AFC COMPETITIONS

Persib Bandung appeared just once in major Asian competitions: in 1995 Asian Club Championship, now AFC Champions League, they were eliminated in Quarter-finals (it was actually a Group Stage), after defeating Bangkok Bank FC (THA) in Round of 32 and Pasay City (PHI) in Round of 16.

2014 SEASON

In the First Round Persib Bandung ended runner-up (behind Arema Cronous) in the Western Group, collecting 41 points in 20 games (12W, 5D, 3L), while in the Second Round they won Group B with 13 points in 6 games (4W, 1D, 1L), advancing together with Pelita Bandung Raya, that comes from the same city.
In the Semi-final Persib Bandung defeated Arema Cronous 3-1 after extra times, while in the Final, in front of 30.000 people, they won the Title defeating Persipura Jayapura 7-5 after penalty kicks (the regular time and extra times had ended 2-2: it must be said that Persipura Jayapura played down to 10 men from 46′ to 110′, when a Persib player was sent off as well).

THE MANAGER

Djadjang Nurdjaman

He’s a 50-year-old former Indonesian International: he was used to play as winger and had spent ten years (from 1986 to 1996) at Persib Bandung, with whom he won, as a player, 3 Perserikatan (1986, 1989/90, 1993/94).
After being both an assistant coach and a manager of the U-23 Youth team at Persib, he moved to Pelita Jaya, where he was an assistant coach, but also managed bot the U-21 team and the First Team (2011).
In 2012 he came back to Persib, but this time as manager of the First Team: the 2014 ISL is the first Title he has won so far.

THE PLAYERS

GOALKEEPERS

Muhammad Nathsir,
Shahar Ginanjar, 24
I Made , 32

DEFENDERS

Vladimir Vujović, 32 (MGR)
Tony Sucipto, 28
Muhammad Agung Pribadi, 25
Achmad Jufriyanto, 27
Jajang Sukmara, 25
Supardi Nasir Bujang, 31
Abdul Rahman Sulaiman, 26

MIDFIELDERS

Atep Rizal, 29
Muhammad Taufiq, 27
Firman Utina, 32 (C)
Makan Konaté, 23 (MAL)
Muhammad Ridwan, 34
Hariono, 29

FORWARDS

Rudiyana, 22
Ferdinand Sinaga, 26
Djibril Coulibaly, 28 (MAL)
Sigit Hermawan, 24
Tantan, 32

In the club there are three foreigners: the Monenigrin defender Vladimir Vujović, who has a decent experience in Eastern Europe, and two Malians, the advanced midfielders Makan Konaté and the striker Djibril Coulibaly, who has scored a lot of goal in Saudi Arabia, Mali and Indonesia.
Moreover there are several Indonesian Internationals: the GK I Made Wirawan, the defender Achmad Jufriyanto, the full-back Supardi Nasir, the midfielders Firman Utina (Captain), Hariono and Tony Sucipto, the winger Muhammad Ridwan and the striker Tantan and Ferdinand Sinaga, who was choosen as the best player of the Competition.

TYPICAL LINEUP

4-4-2
Wirawan – Nasir Bujang, Vujović, Jufriyanto, Sucipto – Konaté, Taufiq, Utina(C), Rizal (Ridwan) – Sinaga, Tantan (Coulibaly).

An ISL club can have no more than 4 foreign players on its squad, including at least one from an AFC country, but no more than three of them can be on the field at the same time.

THE FANS

Persib Bandung is one of the most important football clubs in Indonesia, and is quite well supported: the home attendances move a lot, going from 10.000 to around 27.000, but an average data should be around 18.000.
The main supporters’ groups are Bobotoh, Viking Persib Club, Bomber (Bobotoh Maung Bandung Bersatu), Flowers City Casuals and Ultras Persib, while the main rivalries are with Persija Jakarta (the old Indonesia Derby), Arema Cronous and Pelita Bandung Raya.