Persija Jakarta

Persija Jakarta

Full name	Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jakarta
Nickname(s)	Macan Kemayoran (The Kemayoran Tigers)
Short name	PSJ
Founded	28 November 1928; 95 years ago (1928-11-28), as Voetbalbond Boemipoetera (V.B.B.) 30 June 1929; 95 years ago (1929-06-30), as Voetbal Indonesische Jacatra (V.I.J.) May 1942; 82 years ago (1942-05), as Persidja[1]
Ground	Jakarta International Stadium Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
Capacity	82,000 77,193
Owner	PT Persija Jaya Jakarta
President[3]	Mohamad Prapanca[2]
Head coach	Carlos Peña
League	Liga 1
2023–24	Liga 1, 8th of 18
Website	http://persija.id/
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Active departments of Persija Jakarta
Football	Football (Women's)	Football U-20 (Men's)
Football U-18 (Men's)	Football U-16 (Men's)	Esports

Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jakarta (lit. 'Indonesian Football Association of Jakarta'), abbreviated as Persija, is an Indonesian professional football club based in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. Persija Jakarta is one of the most successful football clubs in Indonesia with 2 Indonesian League titles and 9 Perserikatan titles. It has never been in a lower league since a nationwide competition started in 1930, fifteen years before Indonesia became an independent country.^[4] Persija is one of the founders of the Indonesian football association PSSI, along with six other clubs. Persija's rivalry with fellow PSSI founder Persib Bandung has gone on for decades, occasionally marred by violence.^[5][6]

Persija has roots that predate the current Indonesian state, which declared independence in 1945. Its forerunner, the Voetbalbond Indonesische Jacatra (VIJ), was formed on 28 November 1928 as a football club for Indonesian residents of Jakarta when the Dutch were still colonizing the country. The name Jacatra refers to a fort on the northern coast of present-day Jakarta. VIJ, along with six other Indonesian clubs, established PSSI on 19 April 1930 and won the first PSSI-authorized competition in 1931. In 1937, VIJ did not enter the competition but after that the club was always in the top division.^[7][8]

VIJ changed its name to Persija in 1950, five years after the Indonesian independence. In mid-1951, a club with ethnic Chinese, Dutch and Eurasian players merged with the rebranded outfit. As the Indonesia national football team in the 1950s heavily depended on Persija players, its line-ups at that time were filled by many ethnic Chinese, Dutch and Eurasian players from the Jakarta club.^[7]

After the 1945 independence, national football competitions in Indonesia centred on region-based associations of amateur clubs that received funding from the state. These associations, including Persija, played against each other in an annual tournament known as Perserikatan, which literally means union. Almost all of these associations were seen as representatives of the main ethnic group in their respective regions, flaming primordial sentiments. Multicultural Persija was the exception. Persija won six national titles in the Perserikatan years. However, its fanbase was small and less passionate compared to ethnic-based supporter groups of Persib Bandung, Persebaya Surabaya, PSM Makassar or PSMS Medan. As the Perserikatan games became popular and televised from the 1980s, the other clubs proved to be more dominant with their stronger band of supporters.

PSSI tried to combine the popular Perserikatan teams with the professional clubs from the Galatama league, which was struggling to attract a healthy-sized audience as the clubs did not attract primordial sentiments, into a league called Liga Indonesia. Persija, with a weak fanbase, continued its poor streak in the early years of Liga Indonesia until former army general Sutiyoso was appointed as governor of Jakarta in 1997 amid nationwide demonstrations that demanded the end of military-backed authoritarianism and the start of democratic elections at all levels.

Recognizing that he must win support to secure another term, Sutiyoso used Persija as an outreach vehicle. In 1997, Sutiyoso rebranded Persija with a different colour. Orange replaced red to stress Persija's tiger symbol while national players were recruited and more professional management was introduced. The governor also wielded his powers to motivate other Jakarta clubs in Liga Indonesia, including the once-successful Pelita Jaya FC, to leave the capital city. To augment the fanbase, the Jakmania supporter group was created in December 1997. The total makeover paid off with Persija winning the 2001 national title, a fanbase developing into the biggest in the country and Sutiyoso securing a second term in 2002. The flip side of this top-down approach is constant taunts from supporters of other clubs calling Persija as "anak papa" (papa's boy), which has become louder since Persija won its next national title in 2018.^[9]

The emergence of the Indonesian Super League in 2008 came amid pressure on Perserikatan teams to stop relying on the state budget and increase professional management. Persija, with the ability to attract supporters, sponsors and quality players, evolved into a well-oiled machine that performed well in different forms of competitions in Indonesia. However, it failed to win a national title in these professional years until 2018 when it championed the 2018 Liga 1. While Jakmania turned the capital city orange after the crowning, supporters of other clubs mocked the victory as engineered so that Persija could finally end its 17-year drought. These naysayers argue that PSSI influenced several decisions during the season that unfairly benefitted Persija, including the goals scored in the 9 December 2018 game that sealed the title.^[10]

Controversy aside, Persija is undeniably one of Indonesia's leading clubs with a fanbase that is now considered as the biggest in Asia, according to a December 2020 survey by the Asian Football Confederation. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Persija games could easily gather more than 50,000 people inside the stadium with thousands watching on public screens in neighbourhoods across the sprawling capital. Persija holds the record for highest attendance in a AFC Cup match when it faced with Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. in 2018.^[11]

In April 2022, Persija appointed former Borussia Dortmund manager, Thomas Doll, as the new head coach and manager in a three-year deal.^[12] Doll brought Persija to second place in the 2022–23 season by only conceding 27 goals. Persija and Doll agreed to mutually part ways before the 2024–25 season after a disappointing eight place finish in the 2023–24 Liga 1 season.^[13][14]

Doll was replaced by former Ratchaburi head coach, Carlos Peña in a one-year deal for the upcoming Liga 1 season.^[15][16]

Persija currently plays their home matches at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (GBK) in Central Jakarta, along with the Indonesia national football team. As VIJ, Persija first played at VIJ Stadium Petojo, Gambir.^[17]

Before settling at the GBK, the club used smaller stadiums as their home ground. For the 2017 Liga 1 and much of the 2018 Liga 1, Persija had to relocate to nearby Bekasi and use the Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium or the Wibawa Mukti Stadium, when the GBK stadium underwent renovation for the 2018 Asian Games.^[18][19]

Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan decided in 2019 to build a new stadium for Persija in North Jakarta, called the Jakarta International Stadium. The new stadium was completed in 2022. However, there had been a campaign to rename the stadium after intellectual, national hero and Jakarta native, Mohammad Husni Thamrin.^{[20][21][22][23]} Thamrin also played an important part in the founding of Persija as VIJ by contributing his own money to build VIJ's first football pitch and stadium, VIJ Stadium.^[17]

As of 14 August 2024^[24][25]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  BRA Carlos Eduardo 2 DF  IDN Rio Fahmi 5 DF  IDN Rizky Ridho (captain) 6 MF  ESP Ramón Bueno 7 FW  JPN Ryo Matsumura 8 MF  IDN Syahrian Abimanyu 9 FW  CRO Marko Šimić 10 MF  POL Maciej Gajos 11 DF  IDN Firza Andika 15 DF  IDN Raka Cahyana 17 DF  CZE Ondřej Kúdela 19 MF  IDN Hanif Sjahbandi 22 GK  IDN Hafizh Rizkianur 23 DF  IDN Hansamu Yama 24 MF  IDN Resky Fandi

No. Pos. Nation Player 25 FW  IDN Riko Simanjuntak 26 GK  IDN Andritany Ardhiyasa 27 DF  IDN Dia Syayid 28 DF  IDN Alwi Fadillah 33 DF  IDN Akbar Arjunsyah 36 MF  IDN Aditya Warman 41 DF  IDN Muhammad Ferarri (vice-captain) 58 MF  IDN Rayhan Hannan 66 FW  IDN Zahaby Gholy 70 FW  BRA Gustavo 74 DF  BRA Pedro Dias 77 DF  IDN Dony Tri Pamungkas 78 FW  IDN Witan Sulaeman 80 GK  IDN Adre Arido 90 FW  IDN Agi Firmansyah

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 MF  IDN Alfriyanto Nico (at Dewa United) 30 DF  IDN Meshaal Hamzah (at PSBS Biak) 73 FW  IDN Sandi Samosir (at Madura United) — DF  IDN Ibnu Yazid (at Persipal Palu) — DF  IDN Amirul Fisabilillah (at Deltras) — DF  IDN Amar Fadzillah (at Deltras) — DF  IDN Fava Sheva (at PSPS Pekanbaru) — DF  IDN Alfin Esa (at Dejan) — DF  IDN Fajar Firdaus (at Dejan) — DF  IDN Farhan Sopiulloh (at Persiku Kudus)

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  IDN Ihsan Kusuma (at Persela Lamongan) — DF  IDN Rayhan Utina (at Persela Lamongan) — MF  IDN Refan Nadief (at Persiku Kudus) — MF  IDN Jehan Pahlevi (at Persiku Kudus) — MF  IDN Resa Aditya (at Persiku Kudus) — MF  IDN Figo Dennis (at PSIM Yogyakarta) — MF  IDN Arlyansyah Abdulmanan (at PSIM Yogyakarta) — MF  IDN Nathan Fariel (at PSMS Medan) — FW  IDN Raia Irvanza (at Adhyaksa F.C.) — FW  IDN Nabil Asyura (at Dejan)

• 12 – The 12th man, reserved for club supporters "The Jakmania"^[26]
• 14 – Ismed Sofyan^[27]
• 20 – Bambang Pamungkas^[28]

Position	Staff
Head coach	Carlos Peña
Assistant coach	Robert Morledge Ricky Nelson
Goalkeeper coach	Hendro Kartiko
Fitness coach	Ilham Ralibi
Individual development coach	Ferdiansyah
Video analyst	Uzzy Assidra
Statistician	Dani Budi Rayoga
Player scouting	Petrick Sinuraya
Team doctor	Ikhsan Eka Putra
Nutritionist	Emilia Achmadi
Physiotherapist	Muhammad Yanizar Lubis Jeremiah Halomoan
Masseur	Ahmad Aditya Subkhi Sutisna
Kitman	Abdurachman Saleh Candra Darmawan

Director	Mohamad Prapanca
Vice-director	Ivi Sumarna Suryana
Financial director	Koko Alfiat
Commercial & marketing director	Sébastien Leclerc
Team manager	Bambang Pamungkas
Assistant team manager	Vava Hernandia
Match organizing committee	Arief Perdana Kusuma
Club secretary	Muhammad Araaf Sidik
Media officer	Muhammad Nadhil

Persija Jakarta's traditional colour is red, which is used for their home kit. Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso in 1997 replaced it with orange to make it in line with the tiger symbol during the rebranding of the club. After 19 years, in 2016, Persija decided to return to red after a long national title drought. The experiment worked as Persija championed the top-tier league in 2018. Frequently, the colour of their away jersey is white. But sometimes, players wear black in their away matches. Orange has been kept as the color of their third jersey.^[29]

Period	Kit Provider[30]
1970s–1990s	Adidas
1998–2000	Reebok
2000–2003	Nike
2004–2007	Specs
2007–2009	Diadora
2009–2017	League
2018–2019	Specs
2020–	Juara[31]

Persija's main supporter group is called the Jakmania, simply known as The Jak. Founded in 1997 by Gugun Gondrong and Ferry Indra Sjarif, the Jakmania is one of the biggest football fan groups in Indonesia and use orange as their main colour. Haringga Sirla, a Jakmania member, was beaten to death by a group of Vikings, supporters of Persib in September 2018.^[32][33]

The anthem of Persija, "Persija Menyatukan Kita Semua", written by the Jakmania, is always sung after the match.^[34]

Persija typically has rivalries with former Perserikatan teams such as PSM Makassar, Persebaya Surabaya and PSMS Medan due to long history of meetings.^[35][36][37] However, its top rival are Persib Bandung from the West Java city of Bandung, 180 km away.^[38] This derby is known as Duel Klasik or Laga Klasik. The rivalry between the two teams has become violent in the 2000s due to the growth of ultras on each side. Influenced by some media and individuals who want the rivalry to be preserved, many hostile incidents involving the two support group have occurred with seven deaths so far.

In 2014, a reconciliation was held by the West Java Police to avoid future clashes, resulting in restrictions against travelling supporters. However, fans continue to break the rule and end up in violent altercations.^[39][40]

Persija also has rivalries with other Jakarta-based football clubs, dubbed Derby Ibukota (the Capital Derby) or Jakarta Derby. However, unlike its rivalries with former Perserikatan teams, Persija's rivalries with other Jakarta-based clubs are low in intensity due to fewer matches held against them. The only rivalry worth mentioning is the one the club has with Persitara Jakarta Utara, which has successfully promoted to the top tier for some times, hence having more matches played between them.^[41]

Persija has won many titles, including from international tournaments, making the club as the most successful in Indonesia. Its last national title comes from the 2018 Liga 1.

Domestic
League/Division	Titles	Runners-up	Seasons won	Seasons runners-up
Liga Indonesia / Liga 1	2	2	2001, 2018	2005, 2022–23
Perserikatan	9	4	1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1953–54, 1964, 1971–73, 1973–75, 1978–79	1932, 1952, 1975–78, 1987–88
Domestic
Cup Competitions	Titles	Runners-up	Seasons won	Seasons runners-up
Piala Indonesia	0	2		2005, 2018–19
Piala Presiden Soeharto	0	3		1972, 1974, 1976[42]
Indonesia President's Cup	1	0	2018
Menpora Cup	1	0	2021
International
Friendly Tournament	Titles	Runners-up	Seasons won	Seasons runners-up
South Vietnam Independence Cup	1	0	1973
Brunei Invitational Cup[43]	2	0	2000,[44] 2001[45]
Boost Sports Super Fix Cup	1	0	2018

Season	League/Division	Tms.	Pos.	Piala Indonesia	AFC competition(s)
1994–95	Premier Division	34	13 in West Div.	–	–	–
1995–96	Premier Division	31	14 in West Div.	–	–	–
1996–97	Premier Division	33	10 in West Div.	–	–	–
1997–98	Premier Division	31	did not finish	–	–	–
1998–99	Premier Division	28	Semifinals	–	–	–
1999–2000	Premier Division	28	Semifinal	–	–	–
2001	Premier Division	28	1	–	–	–
2002	Premier Division	24	Second round	–	Asian Club Championship	First round
2003	Premier Division	20	7	–	–	–
2004	Premier Division	18	3	–	–	–
2005	Premier Division	28	2	Runner-up	–	–
2006	Premier Division	28	Second round	3rd place	–	–
2007–08	Premier Division	36	Semifinals	3rd place	–	–
2008–09	Super League	18	7	Quarter-finals	–	–
2009–10	Super League	18	5	Quarter-finals	–	–
2010–11	Super League	15	3	–	–	–
2011–12	Super League	18	5	Not Participated	–	–
2013	Super League	18	11	–	–	–
2014	Super League	22	5 in West Div.	–	–	–
2015	Super League	18	did not finish	–	–	–
2016	Soccer Championship A	18	14	–	–	–
2017	Liga 1	18	4	–	–	–
2018	Liga 1	18	1	Runner-up	AFC Cup	Zonal Semi-finals
2019	Liga 1	18	10		AFC Champions League	Preliminary round 2
					AFC Cup	Group stage
2020	Liga 1	18	did not finish	–	–	–
2021–22	Liga 1	18	8	–	–	–
2022–23	Liga 1	18	2	–	–	–
2023–24	Liga 1	18	8	–	–	–

Key

• Tms. = Number of teams
• Pos. = Position in league

• Asian Club Championship/AFC Champions League
  • 2001-02 – First round
  • 2019 – Preliminary round 2
• AFC Cup
  • 2018 – ASEAN Zonal semi-finals
  • 2019 – Group stage

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2001–02	Asian Club Championship	First round	Kashima Antlers	1–4
2018	AFC Cup	Group H	Johor Darul Ta'zim	4–0	0–3	1st
			Tampines Rovers	4–1	4–2
			Sông Lam Nghệ An	1–0	0–0
		Zonal semi-finals	Home United	1–3	2–3	3–6
2019	AFC Champions League	Preliminary round 1	Home United	1–3
		Preliminary round 2	Newcastle Jets	3–1 (a.e.t.)
	AFC Cup	Group G	Becamex Bình Dương	0–0	1–3	3rd
			Shan United	6–1	3–1
			Ceres Negros	2–3	0–1

As of 6 December 2023^[46]

Current Rank	Country	Team	Points
78		Al Gharafa	13.70
79		Navbahor Namangan	13.69
80		Persija Jakarta	13.69
81		Borneo F.C.	13.69
82		Gangwon FC	13.69

After becoming professional, Persija Jakarta has been trained by a combination of foreign and local coaches. Sofyan Hadi was the first head coach who won a professional national title for Persija Jakarta in 2001 when he was also playing for the team. Brazilian Antonio Claudio also was playing in and coaching the same team, but as a fitness coach. Another Brazilian, Stefano Cugurra, led Persija to the 2018 national title.^[47]

Years	Name
1999–2000	Ivan Kolev
2001	Sofyan Hadi
2002	Mundari Karya
2003	Atanas Georgiev
2004	Carlos García Cambón
2005–2006	Arcan Iurie
2006–2007	Rahmad Darmawan
2007–2008	Sergei Dubrovin
2008–2009	Danurwindo
2009–2010	Benny Dollo
2010–2011	Rahmad Darmawan
2011–2012	Iwan Setiawan
2013–2014	Benny Dollo
2014–2015	Rahmad Darmawan
2015–2016	Bambang Nurdiansyah
2016	Paulo Camargo
2016	Zein Al Hadad
2017–2018	Stefano Cugurra
2019	Ivan Kolev
2019	Julio Bañuelos
2019	Edson Tavares
2020	Sérgio Farias
2020–2021	Sudirman
2021–2022	Angelo Alessio
2022	Sudirman (caretaker)
2022–2024	Thomas Doll
2024–present	Carlos Peña

This is the list of several domestic and foreign former notable or famous players of Persija from time to time.

• Soetjipto Soentoro
• Tan Ling Houw
• Sutan Harhara
• Rully Nere
• Dede Sulaiman
• Rahmad Darmawan
• Widodo Cahyono Putro
• Anang Ma'ruf
• Budiman Yunus
• Imran Nahumarury
• Francis Wewengkang
• Hendro Kartiko
• Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto
• Charis Yulianto
• Elie Aiboy
• Budi Sudarsono
• Aples Tecuari
• Hamka Hamzah
• Ortizan Solossa
• Atep Rizal
• Muhammad Ilham
• Aliyudin
• Agus Indra Kurniawan
• Rochy Putiray
• Nur'alim
• Anjas Asmara
• Anindito Wahyu
• Beto Gonçalves
• Osas Saha
• Adam Alis
• Gendut Doni Christiawan
• Alexander Pulalo
• Muhammad Roby
• Leo Saputra
• Greg Nwokolo
• Firman Utina
• Ponaryo Astaman
• Amarzukih
• Stefano Lilipaly
• Raphael Maitimo
• Farri Agri
• O.K. John
• Bambang Pamungkas
• Gunawan Dwi Cahyo
• Fitra Ridwan
• Valentino Telaubun
• Michael Orah
• Talaohu Musafri
• Leonard Tupamahu
• Alfin Tuasalamony
• Dany Saputra
• Nol van der Vin
• Samosir Tamani
• Fahreza Agamal
• Defri Rizki
• Fariz Nur Hisyam
• Mulky Alifa Hakim
• Marc Klok
• Evan Dimas
• Osvaldo Haay
• Novri Setiawan
• Ichsan Kurniawan
• Ahmad Bustomi
• Adixi Lenzivio
• Rinto Ali
• Salman Alfarid
• Iman Fathuroman
• Ikhwan Ciptady
• Yoewanto Setya Beny
• Daryono
• Shahar Ginanjar
• Sandi Sute
• Ramdani Lestaluhu
• Feby Eka Putra
• Rachmad Hidayat
• Septinus Alua
• Rudi Widodo
• Heri Susanto
• Alfath Fathier
• Asri Akbar
• Sutanto Tan
• Arthur Irawan
• Rizky Darmawan
• Ambrizal Umanailo
• Vava Mario Yagalo
• Muhammad Hargianto
• Andik Rendika Rama
• Syahroni
• Samuel Christianson Simanjuntak
• Rafli Mursalim
• Adrianus Purnomo
• Ismed Sofyan
• Tony Sucipto
• Maman Abdurrahman
• Hasyim Kipuw
• Harry Salisbury
• Rizky Ridho
• Rezaldi Hehanussa
• Aji Kusuma

• Miro Baldo Bento
• João Bosco Cabral
• Rohit Chand^[48]
• Precious Emuejeraye
• Agu Casmir
• Baihakki Khaizan
• Fahrudin Mustafić
• Aleks Vrteski
• Jahongir Abdumominov
• Lam Hok Hei
• Park Kyung-min
• Jeong Kwang-sik
• Hong Soon-hak
• Reinaldo
• Yusuf Helal
• Oliver Bias

• Roger Batoum
• Abanda Herman
• Serge Emaleu Ngomgoue
• Louis Berty Ayock
• Julius Pongla Akosah
• Olinga Atangana
• Pierre Njanka
• Eric Bayemi
• Emmanuel Kenmogne
• Mbeng Jean Mambalou
• Boakay Foday
• Oliver Makor
• Frank Seator
• Chinedum Antoni
• Sam Ayorinde
• Vata Matanu Garcia
• Alex Brown
• Makan Konaté

• Jaime Braganca
• Martin Vunk
• Evgeni Kabaev
• Ivan Bošnjak
• Evgheni Hmaruc
• Želimir Terkeš
• Steven Paulle
• Joan Tomàs
• Marco Motta
• Marko Šimić
• Michael Krmenčík
• Hanno Behrens

• Addison Alves
• Antônio Cláudio
• Lorenzo Cabanas
• Ronald Fagundez
• Emanuel de Porras
• Gustavo Ortiz
• Robertino Pugliara
• Fabio Vigo
• Luciano Leandro
• Aldo Mores
• Javier Roca
• Gustavo Chena
• Pedro Velázquez
• Fabiano Beltrame
• Sílvio Escobar
• Renan Silva
• Willian Pacheco
• Jaimerson Xavier
• Bruno Lopes
• Vinicius Lopes Laurindo
• Luiz Júnior
• Ivan Carlos
• Rodrigo Tosi
• Bruno Matos
• Xandão
• Adolfo Fatecha
• Diego Caneza
• Yann Motta
• Alan Aciar
• Gustavo

• Ayati, Nur (2010). Liga Indonesia: Persija vs Persib (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Elex Media Komputindo. p. 24. ISBN 978-979-27-7425-2.^[49]

• Official website
• Sepakbola – The Football Travellers on FIFA's website