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EPL kicks off, but fans won't see it
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 08/12/2007 1:03 PM
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The kickoff of the hugely anticipated English Premier League (EPL) season became a day of woe here Saturday as millions of fans finally realized that Asia's most popular soccer league will be inacessible to the majority of Indonesians.
For the first time in nearly a decade, no local free-to-air TV stations will be broadcasting EPL matches. TV7, now Trans7, was the last to air the matches between 2003 and 2006.
Trans7 said they had not sought the rights this year as they had simply become too costly.
Accessibility has shrunk even further with pay-TV provider Astro attempting to maintain an exclusive monopoly on EPL broadcasts on pay TV.
Last season, pay TV companies such as Indovision and Kabelvision aired EPL matches through the ESPN and Star Sports channels.
As of Saturday night it was still unclear whether they had acquired the rights to broadcast matches this year.
""I had hoped to watch the match through ESPN from Indovision as the schedule still listed it. But I couldn't!"" a disappointed Wicak, a resident of Depok, West Java, told The Jakarta Post over the phone Saturday.
Both Indovision and Kabelvision claimed they were still negotiating for the broadcasting rights.
Meanwhile, the EPL kicked off at the Stadium of Light with hosts Sunderland making a 1-0 winning start against Tottenham Hotspur.
Other games due to be played Saturday night were Bolton Wanderers against Newcastle United, West Ham United versus Manchester City, Aston Villa versus Liverpool, and Everton versus Wigan Athletic.
Most of the league's heavyweights will start their campaigns on Sunday.
Title holders and nine-time premiership kings Manchester United will take on Reading at Old Trafford, runner-up Chelsea will play Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge and Arsenal will meet Fulham at Emirates Stadium.
United's Serbia defender Nemanja Vidic said that his team must raise their game if they are to retain the Premiership title this season.
""We need to improve everywhere. If you want to win the Premier League and get to the Champions League final, everyone has to take one step up,"" Vidic was quoted as saying by AFP
""We have to be better this season. If we play at the same standard as last season, we will not be good enough to win the league,"" he asserted.
""This season the Premiership will be a lot stronger than it was last season because clubs are buying more quality players and we know we'll need to work even harder than we did last season if we're going to win the title again. That is the key for us.
""Every game against the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal is hard, but all we can do is focus on ourselves and what we can do as a squad together. But it's true that, while we have strengthened this summer, other clubs have done the same.""
Tevez is extremely unlikely to be involved in the game despite being cleared to play Friday by the Premier League.
Instead, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has scheduled the Argentinian's debut for next weekend's derby clash at Manchester City.
Separately, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed confidence Friday that his youthful squad had the ability to surprise their critics and challenge for the English premier league title despite losing captain Thierry Henry.
""This is the start of a new era, today,"" he said. ""We have a great inner strength,"" Wenger was quoted as saying by Reuters
""I have a strong feeling that we will do very well this season, much better than people think. We are aiming at Manchester United and Chelsea, and I am not afraid of that.""
Wenger said the departure of Henry to Barcelona would mean a change of ""offensive style"" for his team.
