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f Persipura's sterling performance in the Indonesian soccer league competition is anything to go by, we can conclude that national soccer is not as lousy as many cities may have judged it to be after all.

The club from Papua, the country's easternmost province bordering the Pacific, has provided the needed tonic and shot in the arm for Indonesian soccer, in the doldrums for a long time, with Persipura's inspirational, imaginative, speedy and attack-minded play.

Persipura won the year-long competition involving 18 "elite" clubs, in style, routing defending champion Sriwijaya FC 4 - 1 at Mandala stadium, Jayapura, on June 10.The team's resounding feat was crowned with success when Boaz Solossa was named the best player. The 23-year old national striker also became the top scorer, the title which he shared with Christian Gonzales of Bandung's Persib, each with 28 goals to their credit.

Persipura wound up with a record of 25 wins, 5 draws and only 4 losses in the competition played, on a home-and-away basis. Papua has long been as a prolific stable producing highly gifted footballers from the era of Johanes Auri, Hengky Heipon, Timo Kapisa in the 1970s, then Rully Nere, Henky Rumere, Adolf Kabo, Noah Meriem in the 1980s and Ronny Waiba, Eduard Ivak Dalam in the 1990s up to the present time with star soccer players like Boaz, his brother Ortizan, Ellie Aiboy, Octavianus Maniani and Errol F. Iba emerging on the soccer stage.

It's interesting to note that all the names mentioned above either used to be or are currently national players, prompting some pundits to seriously suggest that the national team should be better made up of players hailing from Papua.

Not to be sidelined of course foreign players in the Persipura line-up, notably Ernest Jeremiah and Alberto Goncalves contributed the lion's share of contribution to the club's ISL title victory.Brazilian coach Jacksen F. Tiago successfully blended a fine mixture of quality players, foreign and local, into a solid well-knit outfit, that stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

If critics and cynics argue the presence of so many foreign players in League clubs does little in helping lift national soccer to the desired heights, due to the mediocrity of many local teams, in the case of Persipura they are proven wrong.The club's foreign signings are not mediocre quality, they are good players even meriting places in top European clubs.

Credit must also be given to Persipura chairman, concurrently Jayapura Mayor Manase Robert Kambu who plays a pivotal role behind the soccer. This soccer-crazy official never promised lucrative cash bonuses to his players, merely saying they would get due rewards if they played well.

"Enticing bonuses before a match is not good for them, (the players) they will only think of the money instead of delivering the goods, he once said. "But we'll give them cash rewards if they perform up to expectations, without having to make any promises beforehand." He pointed out that openness and togetherness are the key factors in the club's management. "We have no hidden agendas. Every player can air his complaints, grievances or whatever freely without fear of being fired."

It seems the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) should emulate what Persipura has done although at the cost of losing face, so to speak. Persipura has brought a breath of fresh air to national soccer in both technical and non-technical areas, molding it into a compact unit with the ultimate goal of reaching the target it wants to achieve.Of course the pats on the back and plaudits might be premature and exaggerated when we have yet to see how the club will do on the international stage.

The Asian League Champions Cup this year would provide a suitable arena for Persipura to prove it can stand on an equal footing and rub shoulders with Asia's best. As Persipura has provided a stellar example of how soccer should be played, it's well worth suggesting that the national team copy the Papua side's Barcelona-like attacking game stressing possession and short, accurate passing.

In the 1960s and 1970s Indonesia was a soccer powerhouse to be reckoned with in Asia during the heyday of such legends as Iswadi Idris, Sucipto Suntoro, Ronny Pattinasarani and Yudo Hadianto. Particularly in the 1960s Indonesia was the "bogeyman" for Japan and South Korea, who never won a single win over Sucipto and company.

However while the soccer qualities of Japan and South Korea have now developed by leaps and bounds, Indonesia has conversely suffered a severe setback. And this should be scientifically studied by PSSI : What's the reason for the slump? and what's the best remedy to cure the sickness and put things right?

We need to learn from our Papuan soccer players that we are able to become excellent sportsmen.

The writer is a journalist.