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Supporting players
Fans: Supporters of Jakarta’s soccer team, Persija, are both old and young
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Fans: Supporters of Jakarta’s soccer team, Persija, are both old and young. JP/Jerry Adiguna
Troublemakers who are only interested in brawling with opposition fans. Rabble rousers who add to Jakarta’s traffic woes on match days. This is how most Jakartans view the “infamous” Jakmania, the supporters club of the Persija Jakarta soccer team.
But before Persija face off against Sriwijaya FC — this year’s Indonesia Super League (ISL) champions — at Bung Karno Stadium on a July afternoon, it’s a different story. Members of Jakmania are handing out flowers and cards wishing Jakarta a happy 485th birthday and promoting anti-lawlessness messages.
“These are to prove that Jakmania are peace lovers,” Jakmania chief Rico Ranggamone shouts over the cacophony of motorbike revving and pre-game chatter as Jakmania members arrive for the match.
If it is a charm offensive, then it’s well timed. Perhaps now more than at any other point in its history, Jakmania is in need of a positive public relations campaign.
A common perception is that Jakmania is full of feral kids, let off the leash for the day, careening to Bung Karno Stadium in packed buses, blowing horns, dressed in their club’s zany black and orange colors.
Then there are the darker reasons for the persistent “hooligan” tag. Last year, Jakmania members were accused of causing a riot in Senayan, trashing offices in the vicinity of the stadium after Persija lost. A couple of months ago, three fans died in brawls at Bung Karno Stadium after Persija played fierce rivals Persib Bandung.
Although it remains unclear whether the assailants were Jakmania members, the rivalry between Jakmania and Persib’s supporters club, Viking, is well known. They have an equally fierce relationship with Bonek, the supporters club of Persebaya Surabaya, and there have been numerous skirmishes over the years.
After the Persib incident, there were even murmurs that Jakmania would be banned from all matches.
“These rivalries aren’t about soccer,” says Rico. “They’re about city pride. It’s about people from Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya thinking that they’re better than the next city. Soccer happens to be an outlet.”
But rather than simply accepting these violent rivalries, Jakmania has been trying to smooth them over with diplomatic overtures.
“We went to Surabaya and Bandung to try to improve the relationships between our supporters clubs,” says Jakmania secretary-general Richard Achmad Supryanto, who, despite his lofty title, is decked out in an orange-and-black outfit in keeping with the rest of Jakmania.
“But they weren’t willing to talk to us. Right now there’s a lot of mistrust, but we’ll keep trying.”
It’s an admirable sentiment. With Jakmania comprising 59,000 card-carrying members from the Jabotabek area, some might say that Rico and Richard have a big job on their hands in trying to control the behavior of their members, most of whom appear to be in their teens.
But they stress that it is not an issue.
“We’re no strangers to criticism,” says Rico. “But the majority of our members are here for the soccer and have no interest in causing problems for others. They just want to support the team peacefully.”
Boy, a member of Jakmania for 12 years, says that a lot of criticism leveled at the organization is unfair.
“Some individuals hang around the stadium before games and look to get into scuffles,” says the 30-year-old as he sits waiting for his team to kick off against Sriwijaya at Bung Karno Stadium.
“But they’re not proper Jakmania members, because our organization has rules that members need to abide by, and one of those is not getting involved in violence.”
Irrespective of the reality, negative press does stick like mud and, while some members of Jakmania are likely no angels, to label them all as riotous thugs is to miss the bigger picture of what being a member of Jakmania is all about.
The organization emerged in December 1997 in response to a clear need.
“Back then, supporting Persija was a very individual thing,” says Richard. “There was nothing to unite Persija fans, so with 40 people we created a group that could do that and it grew.”
Today, about 150 people work for Jakmania, organizing tickets to games and trips across the country when Persija play away from home. Fans travel to the likes of Palembang, Kediri, Pekanbaru, Malang and Yogyakarta to see the team play.
Jakmania does not have a monopoly on Persija’s support. Plenty of Persija supporters prefer to remain outside the group and support the team in their own way. That said, Jakmania still seems to represent a sizable portion of Persija’s support.
“It’s become an identity thing,” says Richard. “When people join the Jak, they feel like they’re part of one big family.”
That identity is certainly important for Boy.
“I’m a Jakartan, and I consider being a member of Jakmania to be a part of who I am,” he says. “I’m proud to support this team and I’m glad that this city has a team to support.”
Indirectly, Boy speaks of an endearing feature of Jakmania. In today’s global game, many Jakartans have become swept up in supporting the soccer demigods of Real Madrid, AC Milan or Manchester United to the point where these teams mean much more than the ones on their own doorstep.
Although the main reason for this trend is the huge discrepancy in the quality of European and Indonesian soccer, Jakmania offers something that foreign teams cannot: A Jakartan team supported by Jakartan people who will remain loyal regardless of the quality of soccer Persija plays.
Admittedly, that quality is not great even by Indonesian standards, with Persija starving their fans of success by failing to win a league title for the past 10 years. 
If that wasn’t enough, Jakmania has also had to contend with their team being banished to an unofficial league, while being forced to watch another team called Persija play in the official league.
“I won’t lie, it’s been a confusing season,” Jakmania chief Rico laughs. “But as far as we’re concerned, there’s only one Persija and that’s us. We’re the first, and we’re the purest — I just hope the leagues can come together so we can get back to being one team.”
Back at Bung Karno Stadium, Persija are leading ISL champions Sriwijaya 3-0 and Jakmania is singing their hearts out, jointly unfurling giant flags of their team’s emblem that span the width of an entire seating block. This is Jakmania at their very best.
“One love Persija! One soul Persija! For victory, for uniting behind our team, win or lose we’ll still love you Persija!” members of Jakmania sing and dance in perfect unison.
It is a gratifying sight to see a set of supporters care about their team so much. Some might say they care too much, but the truth is, Bung Karno Stadium just wouldn’t be the same without them.
