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For some, noisy home fans unbearable
Damar Harsanto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 05/15/2008 12:35 PM | Sports
Japanese shuttler Yu Hirayama occasionally glanced at the noisily cheering home spectators packed into Bung Karno Sports Hall and grinned.
The world No. 19 was playing Indonesian Adriyanti Firdasari in the Uber Cup on Sunday. She eventually lost.
"I've heard of how raucous Indonesian fans are. But I didn't expect they would be so boisterous and a bit distracting for me. I never saw such a rowdy crowd in Japan," Hirayama said after the match.
Hirayama was not alone in her observations as Rachel Van Cutsen of the Netherlands also said she could not hear the umpire's calls during her match against Indonesian No. 1 Maria Kristin Yulianti because of the crowd noise.
"How could you ignore the noise?" she said of the cheers and jeers from the spectators.
"But I like it anyway. It shows how great the support for the Indonesian players is," she said.
Die-hard fans of the home team were easy to spot, including 26-year-old Sandy from Rawabelong, West Jakarta.
"I came with friends to lend special support to the national team," he told The Jakarta Post.
"We usually watch soccer at Senayan Stadium, which is why we sing several chants here which are more familiar during soccer matches," he said.
Popular chants include "Yo ayo, ayo Indonesia, kuingin, kita harus menang!" (Come on, Indonesia, I want us to win!) and "Habisin, habisin!" (Finish them off!). The chants ring out much louder in the closed indoor hall than in an open-air stadium.
For Indonesian shuttlers, these calls are often a morale booster, but not always.
"You have to keep playing well throughout the game if you want the spectators on your side. But if you start making unforced errors, prepare for the worst," said Sony Dwi Kuncoro, the top-ranked player on the men's team, referring to the fans' penchant for mocking players who are not playing well.
Indonesian head coach Christian Hadinata called on fans to keep giving "positive support" to the players, and asked them to refrain from mocking under-performing players, saying this was an extra burden.
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Timmy (not verified) — Sat, 05/17/2008 - 10:21am
yeah, i think indonesian fans can be so unruly and so distracting not only to the opposing teams but to indonesian players as well.
i was disappointed to see Taufik Hidayat lose to Korean player during the semis. I would like to believe that aside from not being in tiptop shape (he was so slow and looked so tired), Taufik was so distracted and pressured by the crowd. I saw how he played before and the Taufik I saw yesterday was like an amateur player. He is one of my favorite badminton players that's why it was so painful to see him lose to an unknown player.
i hope indonesians will learn to limit the noise they make so players can focus and concentrate. And remember this is an international competition, indonesians must learn to become gracious hosts and not throw insulting remarks and offensive jeering.