W

ithout much fanfare, Indonesian teenager Gavin Kwan Adsit landed on Romanian soil last week to sign for CFR Cluj, a team that last qualified for the UEFA Champions League in 2010.  

However, most of the Indonesian media and public were not aware of the 17-year-old talent and his dream of donning the jersey of an elite European club some day.

While Gavin fights to win a place in the Romanian club'€™s main squad, thousands of miles away, soccer fans at home are cheering on Steven Gerrard and his Liverpool FC teammates, who are visiting Indonesia for the first time ever as part of their preseason Asian tour.

Just last week, local fans thronged Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta to experience a rare opportunity to watch Arsenal FC showcase the skills of the English Premier league. To complete the three weeks of soccer heaven, another English giant, Chelsea FC, will arrive on July 25.

There has been no precedent in which three top-flight European clubs have come to Indonesia to meet with fans, braving the tropical heat and distinctive traffic congestion of Jakarta.

During the last decade, major clubs from Europe have been traveling east, since Asia has become the most lucrative market for the sport. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the all three teams included Indonesia in pre-season tours this year, and perhaps they will consider more Indonesian tours in the future if they deem their maiden visits here as financially successful.

Indeed, it is purely the business aspect that counts. A country of 250 million people, the fourth-largest in the world, like Indonesia is a huge market for any European club. With its middle class steadily growing, Indonesia is a new land of opportunity for the clubs to spread their wings.

 Therefore, it would be naïve to expect the star-studded teams to contribute to the national soccer development. So was the Soccer Association of Indonesia'€™s (PSSI) decision to pit the national team against the visitors, who were a class above as evident in Arsenal'€™s 7-0 drubbing of the home side last week.

Nothing was at stake in the match against Arsenal, as with the upcoming matches with Liverpool and Chelsea, as soccer enthusiasts simply want fun rather than national pride.

Let us hope the pride will someday come from Gavin and other Indonesian kids who dare go and to find new
challenges overseas.