Since I started this here blog just over six years ago I've seen almost 200 games across the region. I've been to a lot more but for some reason I never quite get to the stadium.
Persipura hosted East Bengal last year in the AFC Cup at Bung Karno so I headed off nice and early to catch the game.

Indonesia Super League
PSAP v PSMS 2-1 (You Wook Jin, Camera Sekou; Osas Marvelous) 4,763
Indonesia Premier League
Persijap v Persiba Bantul 1-0Arema v Bontang
The Arema game was called off when two (2) Arema teams took to the field. What a farce. These guys promised to change the game and they sure are doing that!

Newly promoted Persidafon have become the ISL's whipping boys. Back to back thumpings, 5-0 at Sriwijaya, 5-2 at Persiram, have left them 15th in the 18 team league with nine points from their opening 11 games. Of concern to Sergei Dubrovin will be a defence that has leaked 30 goals in that time; an ignominy they share with fellow Papuans Persiram.

The Australians are still feeling their way round Asian football and how it operates; or often doesn't. Take Adelaide United. There they were happily looking forward to playing in the Asian Champions League when all of a sudden they are being told that they now have to play a play off against Indonesian champions Persipura.

After the usual pre season controversy and dilly dallying the SLeague finally got under way last night with a couple of games. Hougang United drew 1-1 with Tanjong Pagar at Hougang Stadium. Jordan Webb gave the home team the lead but Takaya Kawanabe pulled the Jaguars level a few minutes later. Just over 400 fans bothered turning up for the season opener.

It was a Papuan derby in South Jakarta. Persiram Raja Ampat don't have a stadium that meets ISL standards so they have become a bit nomadic this season; this was their third home game at Lebak Bulus while they have also used Surajaya Stadium in Lamongan.

At the weekend the ‘hosts' earned their first win of the season, defeating Deltras 3-1, a result that had Deltras coach Jorg Steinbrunner fuming over what he saw as poor refereeing decisions that cost him the match while Persidafon, up in Palembang, were trounced 5-0 by Sriwijaya.

Persija finally recorded a victory against their nemesis but not for the first time a game between the two teams was marred by crowd trouble.
In 2007 during a Copa Indonesia semi final Persipura fans invaded the pitch through a single gate that was left open, ostensibly to escape from a tiny number of Persija fans who were attacking them.

There have been incidents of crowd disorder at the Benteng Stadium in Tangerang over the last few years despite the fact that the two tenents, Persita and Persikota, haven't met for a good while.
When one team plays the other boys come over to lob bricks and vice versa and no one seems able to stop it despite the police clamping down on girls wearing short skirts to games.

There have been incidents of crowd disorder at the Benteng Stadium in Tangerang over the last few years despite the fact that the two tenents, Persita and Persikota, haven't met for a good while.
When one team plays the other boys come over to lob bricks and vice versa and no one seems able to stop it despite the police clamping down on girls wearing short skirts to games.

With the transfer window about to open plenty of gossip will be doing the rounds. As ever I will only post news that appears in other media.
The biggest news is of course Noh Alam Shah becoming a free agent after leaving Arema IPL. Tampines Rovers have said they will take him back in the blink of an eye; it's no secret NAS and the chairman of the Stags are very close.

Indonesia Super League
Persisam v Persela 0-1 (Gustavo Lopez) 12,726PSAP v Gresik United 1-0 (Sayuti) 4,500PSMS v Persiba 4-1 (Alamsyah, Luis Pena, Osas Marvelous, Ostanika; Kenji Adichihara) 9,851
Choirul Huda had one of those games goalkeepers usually reserve for a trip to play the Arsenal.

Olympic Qualifier
Bahrain v Malaysia 2-1 (;Hazwan Bakri) 2,000
Malaysia managed a late equaliser in Bahrain but the hosts, coached by former England manager Peter Taylor, scored a couple of minutes later to earn the win. Heaps happening in the last few moments with two yellows for the home team and a Malaysian seeing red in the 5th minute of injury time.

Singaporean striker Noh Alam Shah has left Arema, the IPL version for reasons given as personal and there is a feeling he may not be the last to leave.
NAS arrived in Indonesia in 2009 and helped guide Arema to the title that year and though he has been frustrated there many times, not least because the club was often late paying players he has usually made up.

PSMS have sacked coach Raja Isa. It follows tales of dressing room unrest and unhappiness with the Malaysian coach's training methods. Now far be it for me to go round making assumptions but cast your mind back to Arema's title winning season and also the constant musical chairs in the Persib hot seat last season.

Pelita Jaya's biggest home crowd for many a year saw them beaten 3-1 by Persib. Ok, the game was played at Jalak Harupat which is Persib's home stadium but it used to be Pelita Jaya's though when they played there they struggled to attract fans in what is staunch Persib territory.

The game was moved from Pelita Jaya's usual home stadium of Singaperbangsa in Karawang probably because that stadium would not have been able to handle the travelling support and that makes two consecutive home games played ‘away' from home; they hosted Persija in Solo for the same reason.