One of the great bane's of Indonesian football is that some teams face big problems find a place to play their home games. Persija are a case in point. They will play Persiwa and Persipura in Yogyakarta while their normal home base, the Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, is being renovated.
Meanwhile the West Java Derby between Pelita Jaya and Persib will be played at the Jalak Harapat Stadium in Soreang making it in effect a Persib home game.

Safee Sali has extended his deal with Pelita Jaya, reportedly making him the highest paid player in ASEAN in the process. There had been a feeling that Safee, under pressure from the Malaysian FA to play for a club in a recognised league, would return to Malaysia or even sign for a Thai team but I understand Muang Thong United baulked at his wage demands.

The two top teams met last weekend as did two of the biggest teams and given the Javan centric nature of the country the focus was obviously on Persib and Persija. Played at the Jalak Harapat Stadium in front of 30,000 fanatic Bobotoh the hosts scraped through 1-0 thanks to a controversila first half pen by Miljan Radovic, his fifth goal of the season.

Indonesia Super League
Persiram v Gresik United 1-1 (JP Boumsong; Gaston Castano) 75 (Played 16/1 at Lebak Bulus, Jakarta)Persisam v Persib 2-1 (Yongki, Jerry; M Ilham) 13,743Mitra Kukar v Pelita Jaya 1-0 (Hamka Hamzah) 7,000
Divisi Utama
Persiku v Persitema 3-0 (Agus Santiko 2, Peter Kuoh) 6,764
Malaysia Super League
Felda United v Selangor 1-0LionsX11 v KL 2-1 (OG, Shahdan Sulaiman; Fazuan Abdullah)Sarawak v Terengganu 0-1Perak v Negeri Sembilan 2-1PKNS v Kedah 0-0Kelantan v Johor FC 2-1T Team v Sabah 0-0
1 - T Team 3 2 1 0 6-0 72 - Kelantan 3 2 1 0 5-3 7

Indonesia Super League
Sriwijaya v Persiba 5-1 (Hilton Moreira, Keith Kayamba, Firman Utina, Siswanto, Ahmad Jufriyanto; Aldo Baretto) 21,875PSPS v Persija (Febriano, Bambang Pamungkas) 15,763PSMS v Persiwa 1-1 (Sasa Zecevic; Habel Satya) 10,553PSAP v Persipura 0-1 (Boas Solossa) 8,650
1 - Sriwijaya 8 6 1 1 21-7 192 - Persipura 7 5 1 1 15-10 163 - Persiwa 7 4 1 2 13-12 13
8 - Keith Kayamba, Hilton Moreira (Sriwijaya)6 - Herman Dzumafo (PSPS)5 - Safee Sali (Pelita Jaya), Alberto Goncalves (Persipura)
Divisi Utama (LI)
Persita v Persitara 1-0 (Hendra Bastion) 8,567Persih v PS Bengkulu 3-0 (Febi Martika Chandra 2, M Husen) 3,851Persekam v PSMP 2-1 (Rohman 2; Nur Rosid) 300PSBK Blitar v PS Sumbawa Barat 1-1 (Alfred Ballah; Saddam Husain) 8,000
Indonesia Premier League
Persema v Bontang 2-0 (Irfan Bachdim, Emile Mbamba)PSM v Semen Padang 1-1
1 - Semen Padang 6 3 3 0 10-3 122 - Persibo 5 3 1 1 10-4 103 - Persija 5 2 3 0 12-9 9

Indonesia Super League
Persisam v Pelita Jaya 1-4 (Eka Ramdani; Bajevski, Safee Sali, Greg Nwokolo 2)Persidafon v Arema 2-1 (Patrick Wanggai, Marcello Cirelly; Marcio Souza)
Safee Sali's fifth goal of the season took Pelita Jaya up to 6th place, leapfrogging Persisam who suffered their first home defeat of the season.

Muang Thong United are reportedly interested in Pelita Jaya's Malaysian striker Safee Sali. The Thai team have promised to rebuild their team after a trophyless season and it is no secret the Malaysian FA would like Sali to play in a recognised league so he can be called up by the national team. Pelita Jaya play in a league not recognised by the Indonesian FA.

The Malaysian Football Association are worrying about the on going crisis in Indonesian football. Specifically they are concerned that they may not be able to call up their striker Safee Sali who plays for Pelita Jaya in the ISL.
FIFA only recognises the Indonesia Premier League and they have said that players who play in any non recognised leagues will not be eligible for national team call up.

Indonesia Super League
Persib v PSAP 1-1 (Maman Abdurahman; You Wook Jin) 20,187Pelita Jaya v PSMS 2-2 (Safee Sali, Alex Bajevski; Zulkarnain, Arie Supriyatna) 3,530Persiwa v Deltras 2-1 (Eddy Foday Boakay 2; Qischil Minny) 12,537Persipura v Persidafon 3-1 (Ricardo Salempessy, Boas Solossa, Alberto Goncalves; Patrick Wanggai) 18,352
Disappointing afternoon for the West Java sides with both Persib and Pelita Jaya taking the lead and losing it at home.

After sensationally walking out on Pelita Jaya last Friday, Indonesian international Diego Michiels has reported to have signed for Persija, the version playing in the officially recognised Indonesia Premier League.
He said he quit Pelita Jaya, who play in the unofficial Indonesia Super League because he was worried about his place in the international team following announcements from the PSSI, the FA, that only players with IPL teams could be called up.

Indonesia Super League
Deltras v Pelita Jaya 2-0 (Sean Rooney 2) 9,560
1 - Persisam 4 3 0 1 7-3 92 - Sriwijaya 4 3 0 1 7-4 93 - Persib 4 2 2 0 6-4 8
Rooney gets his first goals in Indonesia against a Pelita Jaya team that saw John Tarkpor make his debut. Catch my interview with Rooney on Jakarta Casual TV.

Indonesia Super League
Persiba v Persela 0-0
Indonesia Premier League
Arema v PSMS 2-1 (Noh Alam Shah, TA Mushafri; Julio Cesaer Alscorse) 13,000
Officials boasting that 13,000 fans attended this game but last year there would likely have been double that crowd. The Arema team in the IPL is the same as the team that competed in the ISL last year, they just have different, more IPL-friendly, owners than the other ISL Arema.

Indonesia Super League
Persidafon v Pelita Jaya 1-1 (Eduard Ivakdalam; Joko Sasongko) 475Deltras v Persib 0-0 14,000
Indonesia Premier League
Persija v Persema 2-1

Hopes are high that Syamsir Alam will be Indonesia's next great thing. As part of the SAD project in Uruguay he impressed enough to secure a loan deal at Penarol, one of the biggest clubs in South America.
Now he has signed for Belgian side CS Vise who play in the second division there. He will be among friends as fellow Indonesians Yericho Christiantoko, Alfin Tuasalamony and Yandi Munawar at the club owned by the same people who own Pelita Jaya and Brisbane Roar.

KUALA LUMPUR: National skipper Safiq Rahim will get his long overdue chance to impress at Malaysian-owned English Second Division side Cardiff City.

The 24-year-old Selangor midfielder leaves for Cardiff today with high hopes of achieving a first for Malaysian football and take his football career to new heights.

While their South East Asian neighbours were either being thrashed in the latest World Cup Qualifiers or were focused on the SEA Games in Indonesia, Malaysia were hard at work looking to sustain their recent run of success.
They played a couple of friendlies in India against the national team and drew their first game 1-1 (Safiq Rahim) before losing the second 3-2 when Pelita Jaya striker Safee Sali scored twice.

Indonesian football is now limping headlong into another season marred by delays, confusion and, umm, more delays.
The 24 teams invited by the PSSI have split down the middle with half mumbling about going their own way. And come on...what country in the world can have four different top flights leagues in two seasons?

Greg Nwokolo has been one of the most highly sought after players this transfer window. The Persija wideman has been impressive in his last two campaigns with the Kemayoran Tigers, with a spell in Portugal sandwiched inbetween.
However given the uncertainty surrounding Persija ahead of the new season players have been jumping ship all summer and Nwokolo is just the latest in a long line to move.

There are now of course a couple of rich Malaysian businessmen who own English, and Welsh, football clubs. One is at Cardiff City, the other at Queens Park Rangers.
Both have been making headlines recently trying to get Pelita Jaya striker Safee Sali to come over for a trial, something he is now doing with Cardiff City.

You remember Safee Sali? The Malaysian striker who plays for Pelita Jaya in Indonesia? He is currently on trial with Cardiff City.
Anyway the Daily Express, an English newspaper most famous for punk poet John Cooper Clarke asking why there were no topless ladies in their pages, suggests Sali has hit 110 goals in 138 games for the Karawang based club!

You remember Safee Sali? The Malaysian striker who plays for Pelita Jaya in Indonesia? He is currently on trial with Cardiff City.
Anyway the Daily Express, an English newspaper most famous for punk poet John Cooper Clarke asking why there were no topless ladies in their pages, suggests Sali has hit 110 goals in 138 games for the Karawang based club!

PETALING JAYA:

He is set to enjoy a two-week trial with Welsh outfit Cardiff City and join the handful of local footballers, including the likes of Baddrol Bakhtiar (Chelsea) and Akmal Rizal Rakhli (RC Strasbourg, FCSR Haguenau), to enjoy stints abroad.

Safee has been inspirational for Harimau Malaya since the Asean Cup victory last year.

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The latest Football League report on clubs spending on football agents (covering 2010-2011) shows QPR topped the spending in the Football League.
QPR £1,770,000+
SUMMARY
http://www.football-league.co.uk/publications/20110826/league-publishes-agents-fees-report-for-season-201011_2293631_2432068
FULL REPORT
http://www.

It is only the opening gambit in Indonesian football's latest new dawn but at a press conference earlier this evening the new look PSSI announced that top flight football would comprise of two divisions of 16 clubs each while the second tier would have four divisions of 12 teams each.
Indonesia can't seem to decide whether it wants to have a single top flight featuring the 18 best teams which makes sense from a purely footballing point of view or a twin division which would feature more dead wood than a lumberjack camp but allows clubs to spend less on travel costs as it would be divided regionally.

Malaysian striker Safee Sali has had an impressive 6-8 months. His goals helped Malaysia win the AFF Cup last year and helped earn him a move to Indonesia where he signed for Pelita Jaya.
Now comes talk that German side 1 FC Koln are interested in signing him. And god knows they need a poacher up front.

Cristian Lopes has signed for Sri Racha. Yeah, I know, a little late.
The Brazilian striker has spent a number of years in Indonesia, most latterly with Deltras. My abiding memory of him though comes from his Pelita Jaya days when he fell to the ground like he had been poleaxed right in front of the travelling Persija fans.

In Singapore Fandi Ahmad is a legend. While it appears these days he is more focused on his childrens's education, his scouting activities and his own academy there is one Indonesian team that reckon he could do a job for them.
Cendrawasih Papua are 19th in the 19 team Liga Primer Indonesia which is currently on an indefinite mid season break.

Jajang Maulyana was touted as one of Indonesia's next big things when he broke on to the scene in Pelita Jaya's relatively successful 2007 season. He'd spent time on loan in Brazil and had created an impact in then coach Fandi Ahmad's youthful, attack minded sided.
The Yong Eagles howver were not able to build on that impressive season and Jajang became in danger of being known as a nearly man.

Reports locally suggest former Indonesia national team coach Alfred Riedl is being lined up for the hot seat, well, midly tepid, at Pelita Jaya. Of course the club now looking at an unprecedented third season in Karawang after frequent city changes are run by an individual closely linked to the previous PSSI regime.

Malaysia All-Star XI 3-6 Liverpool | Friendly match report

Malaysia All-Star XI 3-6 Liverpool After flying home to secure the signing of Stewart Downing , the Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish, will have seen something to impress, and plenty more to be puzzled by as he watched the second game of his side's Asian tour on television.

Malaysia All-Stars XI 3-6 Liverpool

Malaysia All-Stars XI 3-6 Liverpool After flying home to secure the signing of Stewart Downing, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish will have seen something to impress, and plenty more to be puzzled by as he watched the second game of his side's Asian tour on television.

The Malaysia Super League has been closed to foreigners these last few seasons and while there are rumours doors will open again next year nothing has yet been confirmed.
In the past Malaysia was seen as an attractive destination for Australians, Singaporeans and Indonesians. Whether it will still be seen as attractive next year remains to be seen considering the rumours of match fixing and unpaid salaries that surround the game there.

Arema 20,214 Highest 36,994 v PersipuraPersipura 19,834 Highest 25,000 v Persib & SriwjayaPersija 18,551 Highest 35,000 v PersibPersib 16,947 Highest 26,876 v Deltras
Persisam 11,941 Highest 14,672 v Persib
Persiwa 11,655 Highest 15,000 v Bontang
PSPS 11,381 Highest 19,895 v Arema
Sriwijaya 10,369 Highest 20,201 v PersibSemen Padang 8,883 Highest 15,400 v SriwijayaPersela 8,220 Highest 15,000 v BontangDeltras 6,763 Highest 19,323 v AremaPelita Jaya 6,324 Highest 16,447 v PersibPersiba 4,493 Highest 6,730 v Persisam Bontang 4,387 Highest 8,500 v Arema
Notes:

• Persib played two games behind closed doors
• Persiwa played one game behind closed doors
• Persija played five home games out of 14 outside of Jakarta
• Persib attracted the largest crowd of the season at five different grounds
• The largest attendance of the season was Arema v Persipura 36,994
• The smallest attendance of the season was Pelita Jaya v PSPS 570
• Average attendance at ISL 2010/2011 was 10,665

Deltras v Persipura 1-1 (Marcio Souza; Paulin Bio) 3,000Arema v Perslela 1-0 (Ahmad Amiruddin) 13,689Persija v Pelita Jaya 1-0 (Greg Nwokolo) 9,734Pesiba v Sriwijaya 0-1 (Thierry Gathusse) 3,762
1 - Persipura 24 15 7 2 57-19 522 - Persija 25 13 6 6 47-27 453 - Arema 25 12 7 6 39-23 434 - Semen Padang 25 11 10 4 38-25 43

Yeap, it's still going on, hard though it is to believe. Why not many games in May? Who knows...
PSPS v Pelita Jaya 1-0 (Junaidi) 10,975Persiba v Persib 2-0 (Khairul Amri, Bahtiar) 4,873Sriwijaya v Persija 3-3 (Keith Kayamba, Budi Sudarsono 2; Bambang Pamungkas, Agu Casmir, Greg Nwokolo) 15,101Arema v Deltras 3-0 (Yongki Aribowo 2, Roman Chhmelo) 10,916Persela v Persipura 0-1 (Titus Bonai) 10,015
1 - Persipura 23 15 6 2 55-18 512 - Semen Padang 24 11 9 4 423 - Persija 23 12 5 5 45-25 414 - Arema 24 11 7 6 38-23 405 - Persisam 25 12 3 10 33-39 39
20 - Boaz Solossa (Persipura)16 - Edward Wilson Junior (Semen Padang)14 - Aldo Baretto (Persiba)12 - Bambang Pamungkas (Persija), Julio Lopez (Persisam)

Well, politically speaking it is a derby. Persiba travelled to Bontang and won 5-3 continuing their recent goal scoring spree, 13 in three games. A derby geographically? Well, if you wanna call a 6 hour drive a local derby!
Persiba finished 3rd last season and hopes were high in the oil rich town that a serious shot at the title was on the cards.

It is being reported that players from Indonesia Super League team Deltras, them specialists of last minute penalties at home, haven't been paid for nine months. Which is just about the whole bloody season!
Deltras, from Sidoarjo, have even lost their last two home games, a real culture shock down their way, against Pelita Jaya and Semen Padang, teams hardly known for their success on the road and they are now second bottom in the ISL nine points clear of bottom club Bontang.

Sorry, been tied up quite a bit the last couple of days, and not just with Asian Football Memorabilia, so here's a recap of recent results.
Noh Alam Shah hits four as Arema defeated PSPS 4-2 in front of a disappointing 9,000 + crowd. Them work afternoon games eh?
The old saying about a team that can't buy a win?

AFC Cup
Sriwijaya v Song Lam Nghe An 3-1 (Keith Kayamba, Thierry Gathuessi, Budi Sudarsono;Ngyuen) 5,200Persipura v Chonburi 3-0 (Yustinus Pae, Titus John, Lukas Mandowen) 20,000
Indonesian teams lead their respective groups after a positive couple of results on home territory. A Chonburi fan's perspective of the defeat can be found here.

It could be the defining game of the 2010/2011 Indonesia Super League season.

Persipura have led the ISL since putting Pelita Jaya to the sword way back in September. They have been ruthless and relentless, steamrollering lesser teams and happy to snatch a point when against stronger opposition.