The Anthropology of Football in Indonesia: Prologue

Football in Indonesia has always been a 'God'. It's the easiest game to play anywhere, everywhere, and anytime. You can play in the street or the aisle, having a game with your schoolmates after studying and also after work. It's a part of life for most people. For those who live in the metropolitan area, it's a way of communicating with our friends and communities. It's the way (maybe) to find new business relations or just have fun and let go of any stressful moments in the office. But for those who live in rural areas, football is probably the only way to increase their standard of living and help their parents get a better life.

In this prologue, I want to start with how we see football from a micro-perspective and from a wider perspective.

Football unites the nation, especially in Indonesia. It's true because we are militant if we're talking about togetherness, nationality, and Indonesia itself. Whether you're a fan of football or not, when the national team is playing, you don't want to miss it. During the AFC U19 Championship in 2018, Indonesia vs Japan held the record for the most attendance, with 60,154 people watching the game in Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta. 60K plus for the Under-19 match was awesome.

When I took my master's degree in design a couple of months ago, my thesis defence's topic was the semiotics of the Indonesian National Team football jersey. There are three main findings from my research: 1. The Indonesian football national team jersey embodies a complex interplay of ideologies, notably Indonesian nationalism, and capitalist influences, defying distinct categorization due to their intertwined nature; 2. This jersey, often seen as a symbol of solidarity and diversity since President Soekarno's era, reflects a myth of unity, yet it's simultaneously transformed into a commodity by the football industry, laden with layered meanings and capitalist underpinnings; 3. Beyond its role as apparel, the Indonesian National Team jersey serves multifaceted purposes, shaping self-image, fostering business networks, preserving history, and facilitating social connections, transcending its physical presence to symbolize individuals within society. In conclusion, football in Indonesia is already a political movement with other layered importance, and until today, it stays like that.

Even though football in Indonesia sounds amazing and creates an unmatchable atmosphere, why are there so many football-related problems in Indonesia?

The fanaticism and militants who led some riots in Indonesian football are always the most popular news to read every single year. At least two or three news stories during the 9–10 months of league or competition will have supporters rioting, whether it's in the stadium or the street. Remember the rivalry between Persija and Persib that led to the chaotic moment for Jakarta people who visit Bandung with plate 'B' and they need to take a U-turn to avoid the Persib fans? The victims are beyond supporters. It hits the citizens too, who may not understand football.

I remember that every time me and my dad talk about football, he always highlighted the dangers of watching the football games in Indonesia. He said, "You never know whether you can go home or not if one side loses the game. So don't bring your car to the stadium". He associated the football riots with what happened in 1998 (when Semanggi collapsed due to students' demonstrations targeting President Soeharto's decision to step down).

In 2022, the Kanjuruhan tragedy shook the whole continent. What happened in the Liga 1 match between Arema and Persebaya resulted in the deaths of over 130 victims. Everyone wants to avoid blame. Even so, there were so many variables that we could see in one moment: The chaos at the match included Arema supporters protesting the team's performance, overcapacity attendance, riots, and police launching tear gas into the crowd. Until today, what we read in the newspaper was that the wind was causing the problem of the direction of the tear gas. Imagine what it feels like to be the victim's parents or relatives who lost their son or daughter, spouse or partner, and their best friends, and there's no action from the institution that should have the responsibility to at least apologize and admit their mistake.

This then led to the lobbying of President Joko Widodo for FIFA President Mr. Gianni Infantino to guarantee that the FIFA U20 World Cup would go smoothly.

However, after that, we know the rest of the story and what is to come. But let's just put that aside for a while.

In just one year, another riot between supporters and police happened again after the Liga 2 match between Gresik United and Deltras. Yes, this time it's outside of the stadium, but still enough to create mayhem in the main street around the stadium.

Riots in 2023 and during the FIFA U17 World Cup make me wonder about the fragility of the Indonesian football ecosystem. Then, so many questions are popping up in my head: Is this how the image of football in Indonesia should be? Is this really related to the culture, community, and society of the origins? How can I or we be able to change this? How can we fix this together?

When I studied anthropology in my bachelor's years, I was so interested in diving into one or two support groups that I called a community. They can be called a community because they have names, members, values, and artifacts through symbols or things that they use, chants, or ways of living every single day. Each football supporter community (related to a local club; excluding foreign clubs) closely connects to the club, passionately supports it, and makes an impact, shaping its characteristics.

While working at PSIM Yogyakarta in 2019–2020, I realised that the fanatic fans of PSIM Yogyakarta dominate the capital city of the Yogyakarta region. They called themselves Brajamusti and Maident. Flags adorn almost every corner of Yogyakarta Street, reflecting the club's blue identity. Interestingly, the fans who always went to the stadium, known as 'the hardcore fans', chose to wear black t-shirts. They have an anthem that they will always sing together after the home game with players and staff in the Mandala Krida Stadium, titled Aku Yakin Dengan Kamu (AYDK). Interestingly, people who are smart enough to read this phenomenon will use it as a 'political vehicle' to be the mayor of the city. We will talk about this later. Another direct experience that I have that involves local supporter communities was Persekat Tegal. In 2021, I got a chance to talk and have a meeting with the stakeholders of Persekat Tegal. I just want to know how they run the team. Previously, local politics closely tied the ownership of Persekat Tegal, creating a unique situation. The red-black colours, with the bulls as the mascot, were associated with the political party. Though it sounds pity, the supporters choose not to change it, even though the ownership has changed, because it's already part of the club's identity. Yes, Persekat has a single owner, but the main activities and income still come from the supporters. They don't have a bulky back-office or front-office team like other major Indonesian football teams. One of the interviewees even told me that the supporters themselves became the committee in every single home match. The supporters continue to run it, and I assume it remains the same in 2023.

Other clubs will have different kinds of ownership and numbers of supporters. And if we can dig deep into each club's culture and values, it will be possible to create an encyclopedia of Indonesian football from Sabang to Merauke in the future.

To get to know more about the issue, plus if you are a fan of football and want to know about football as the way of life in Indonesia or maybe interested in how football can be a value and culture in Indonesia, a book called ‘Sepakbola: The Indonesian Way of Life’ by Antony Sutton (2017) should be the main reference. He is probably one of the few people (and he's not an Indonesian) who understands how football in Indonesia is like a religion, a totem, a culture with images and symbols that represent who they are. Sutton's book will always be a great start for you to learn more about the diversity of Indonesian football in each region. Other authors that have some journals or books that talk about football are Andi Bachtiar Yusuf, Andy Fuller, Sindhunata, Frank Colombijn, and Fajar Junaedi.

Hopefully, this article is the start of something about how we can contribute to Indonesian football and impact not only locals but also the world. If you have opinions and ideas about this, feel free to share your thoughts, and let's discuss.