Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Jakarta Globe Column
So it has finally happened.
We've seen the likes of Phaitoon Thiabma, Suchao Nuchnum, Sinthaweechai
Hathairattanakul and Pipat Thonkaya ply their trade successfully in the
Indonesian league but no Indonesian has yet made the return journey.
That has now changed with
Irfan Bachdim signing for Chonburi ahead of the new Thai Premier League season.
After unsuccessful trials
with Persib and Persija Bachdim signed for unfancied Persema Malang back in
2010 ahead of the ASEAN Football Federation Cup. It's fair to say he was an
unknown here having spent most of his life in the Netherlands but he set about
making an impression and wooing a following of female fans who mobbed his early
appearances for club and country.
Celebrity is a fickle beast
though and it wasn't long before the glamour types moved on to the next big
thing leaving Bachdim with his football. Last season with Persema, a pale
shadow of their 2011 vintage, he was left with making cameo appearances off the
bench in an underperforming team floating along just above mid table in front
of crowds that could be counted in their dozens.
After a failed trial with
another Thai side, BEC Tero, it looked like Bachdim was looking forward to
another season in the Indonesia Premier League with a side short on funds and
fans.
Then came Chonburi and he
was finally on his way.
Much has been written about
the Thai Premier League in recent years with many in Indonesia casting envious
glances to their northern neighbours. But what can Irfan really expect in the
Land of Smiles.
The TPL lacks the history
and passion of Indonesian football for a start. The two big teams at the moment
are Muang Thong United, who won the title last season, and Buriram United but
both are relatively recent additions to the football scene there.
Buriram were crowned
champions in their debut season in the TPL despite not earning promotion the
previous season! The patriarch of Buriram province persuaded PEA, a nomadic
club, to settle in his town for a season; he built an impressive new stadium and
arranged for fans to fill it.
The gentleman concerned
happens to be a prominent politician in Thailand who is currently serving a
suspension from politics.
Muang Thong are also
relatively new and possess their own rich backers, a media group, who have
added a media savvy to Thai football Indonesia can only dream of.
These two clubs are the
richest, biggest clubs (two adjectives that go together in Thailand as well as
anywhere else in the world) in the country at the moment. For the really big
games both are capable of pulling crowds of 20,000 plus; better than anyone
else in Thailand but nothing special compared to the likes of Persib, Arema,
Sriwijaya and others in Indonesia.
Chonburi are also a new
addition to the Thai footall scene dating back to the end of the last century
and they too have their own rich backers in the family who run the province of
Chonburi as their own fiefdom. The brother of the Chonburi mayor happens to be
the mayor of Pattaya and they are both highly visible in regional and local
politics; indeed Bachdim may find not many people want to talk to him this
weeks as news came out earlier of the arrest of the brothers' father after
several years on the run!
As a league the TPL lacks
the strength of the Indonesia Super League. Beyond the three named clubs only
Bangkok Glass, another club with rich backers new on the scene, look to have
the resources to compete with the big boys but are sorely in need of stability
on the coaching front before realising any nascent potential.
BEC Tero make up Thailand's
Big 5 and they too are a corprorate entity owned by a TV channel and despite
some success in the AFC Champions League in its early days lack the fan base to
provide any kind of atmosphere.
The rest of the TPL is a
miss mash of older clubs who hang on with small crowds and big dreams. Thai
Tobacco Monopoly are a frequent mover, last season in Chiang Mai, and are one
of the relics of the old Thai league before big money entered the scene while
other clubs from that era hanging on are Telephone Organisation of Thailand,
Police United and Army United.
The power of a handful of
clubs has strengthened the league at the expense of the national team as
different factions jockey for power and influence, pitting their 'phuu yai'
(person of power and influence), against their rival's 'phuu yai' in a mafiosi
game of poker.
The supporters are much more
twee than in Indonesia and probably much richer, more than happy to fork outh
their cash in the official club shops on official merchandise. The atmosphere
round a Thai game can best be described as fun as families and friends gather,
have a picnic and take inumerable pictures of each other to post on the myriad
message boards that cater to their interest.
They also drink their way
through large amounts of beer which is freely available inside and outside the
stadiums.
Given the sudden rise in
popularity of the game no real rivalries have been established though relegated
Thai Port, with their Millwall like following, do their best. There have been some
incidents of crowd misbehaviour in recent seasons but nothing major and
certainly for now there is no rivalry to match a Persija v Persib or Arema v
Persebaya.
Bachdim seems to have
chosen, or been chosen by, the right club. Chonburi are a club that try to do
the right thing by both players and football unlike some clubs there run by
egotistical owners whose views of the beautiful game, and motives, won't always
coincide with a coach who has his own thoughts about football. Rumours of North
Korean style restrictions written into players' contracts abound while some
clubs spend an inordinate amount of time working on players' fitness.
But for all the baggage that
makes Thai football seem like Indonesia lite on the field a lot of good work is
being done. In Kawin they boast perhaps the best goalkeeper in the region while
players like Adul and Teerasil proved their quality during the recent ASEAN Cup
when the Thais lost in the final to Singapore.
The Thais face one other
self inflicted hurdle. Every time they enter the SEA Games and ASEAN Cup they
think all they have to do is turn up and they will win. These unrealistic
expectations act as a millstone round the necks of all parties involved and act
as a break on any innovative hinking or creativity that is surely needed to
push Thai football on to the next level.
For Bachdim then he can look
forward to some thrilling experiences in a league that is still doing much
right. He can look forward to living in a nice place close enough to Bangkok to
enjoy all its positives but far enough out for space. And also, perhaps most
importantly for an Indonesian player, he can look forward to getting paid on
time.
How he settles in will be
interesting to see as will whether other players follow his trail andescaped
the stifling, repressive atmosphere that is choking the Indonesian game.
COMMENT - first appeared in Jakarta Globe last week and is already date because Persema don't want to release him expecting him to honour a contract they don't even pay him for! Jokers these guys. One Persema official was quoted as talking about ethics! Are they taking the piss? The guy ain't been paid for about eight months!
# posted by Me @ 6:33 PM 
