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Images: Lebak Bulus: Blues
Lost voices: Graffiti scrawled by members of Jakmania, the fan club of Persija Jakarta, is all that remains of the glory days as Lebak Bulus Stadium in South Jakarta awaits demolition
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span class="inline inline-center">Lost voices: Graffiti scrawled by members of Jakmania, the fan club of Persija Jakarta, is all that remains of the glory days as Lebak Bulus Stadium in South Jakarta awaits demolition.
'Thump! Thump! Thump!' beats out the sound of a hydraulic breaker crushing the East Stand of Lebak Bulus Stadium. On the Main Stand workers cut through the steel of the overhead canopy, others dismantled the seating and floodlights. After almost three decades, the final whistle has been blown at the venerable old stadium, which is being demolished to make way for the upcoming Mass Rapid Transit project; the grounds will be replaced by a new train depot and station.
The stadium was built in 1978. Originally named Sanggraha Pelita Jaya, it was the home ground for Pelita Jaya Football Club. However, for a brief period between 2001 and 2008 it was Persija Jakarta whose name was most associated with Lebak Bulus. The 12,500-seat stadium was Persija's home ground when it won the Indonesian League in 2001.
Just like the soccer team, Persija's supporters were also closely attached to the stadium. The stadium bore witness to the birth of Jakmania back in 1997, one of the most loyal and notorious soccer 'firms' in the country. Jakmania was established by only 40 people but now numbers more than 80,000.
Now all that is left among the rubble are the scrawled messages of the fans, bidding farewell to their spiritual home. The writing and graffiti will also be obliterated after the demolition is finished, leaving only memories of the thunderous roar of thousands of lads and some girls, clad in orange attire cheering on their local heroes.
' Text and photo by JP/Seto Wardhana
