Ruben Karel Sanadi (PERSEBAYA.id)

It has been two years since Ruben Karel Sanadi first made an appearance for Persebaya Surabaya, yet every time he steps onto the soccer club’s pitch, he still gets excited. Ruben, who is now the team captain, praised the environment of the club and everything that came with it.

“I really enjoy playing here. Everything is alright. We’re very professional,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Ruben, a defender, is one of three Papuan players on the team, the other two being striker Osvaldo Haay and winger Nelson Alom.

The Papuans have played a key role in promoting Persebaya to Liga 1, the country’s top league. When the club was still in Liga 2, there were four other Papuans — Ricky Kayame, Fandry Imbiri, Nerius Alom and Samuel Reimas — who together with Ruben were the main engine of the club’s push for promotion.

In 2017, the five were instrumental in bringing the club the Liga 2 trophy.

Ruben’s presence in Surabaya became a topic of interest shortly after incidents revolving around racism took place in Malang and Surabaya last week.

On Friday afternoon, scores of security personnel along with members of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and youth organization Pemuda Pancasila reportedly went to a Papuan student dormitory on Jl. Kalasan in Surabaya, and launched physical and verbal attacks against the students following the finding of an Indonesian flag that was apparently discarded near the dorm.

When asked about the incident, Ruben acknowledged that what happened to his fellow Papuans was unacceptable and hurt his feelings.

“I feel the same way about them, my fellow student friends,” he said, adding that he had no intention of making the situation worse by saying the wrong things.

Ruben said he expected all related stakeholders to sit together to find a solution to the tensions so similar incidents could be prevented.

“I have been enjoying my time here with the team and want to continue playing with them. I hope this will end soon,” Ruben, who was recently called up to the national soccer team, said.

Along with Amiruddin Bagus Kahfi and Hanif Sjahbandi, Ruben is set to join the squad for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The secretary of Persebaya team management, Ram Surachman, said racism was not tolerated at the club.

“We do not tolerate any form of racism here. The club opens its doors wide to those capable of joining hands with others in displaying fine sportmanship and integrity,” he said.

Ram denied rumors that there was animosity against the Papuan players. He added that the club had vowed to be the house that united all, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion and background.

Adji Soko, head of the Persebaya fan club, said the fans had always viewed the Papuan players as part of the team. These players had won their hearts and had proven they were pivotal to the club’s success.

“The Persebaya fans don’t do politics. We played no part in whatever happened at the Papuan students’ dormitory. Those guys are our friends, too,” he said.

Racism in soccer is not new to Indonesia. An Indonesian Cup soccer match between Papua’s Persiwa Wamena and Persib Bandung in January saw some fans starting racist chants.

In 2013, when Persib played against Persija Jakarta, Cameroon’s Mbida Messi of Persib was referred to as monyet (monkey) from members of the opponent’s Jakmania fan club.

Papua Governor Lukas Enembe urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to end the trend.

“Arrest [the racists]. It’s not a new thing. It’s been going on for a while. Racism even happens in soccer,” he said.

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