Persib 7–0 Persija 1976 Yusuf Cup (10 August 1976)
Persib
Persija
Indonesian El Clásico (Indonesian: Indonesia Klasik), also known as the Indonesia Derby (Indonesian: Derbi Lama Indonesia), is the name given to matches between the two biggest and most popular Indonesian football clubs Persib Bandung and Persija Jakarta.[1] This derby is considered one of the biggest in Asia.[2][3]
Origin
The first matches of intensity were in 1933 and 1934 when the two clubs competed in the final match at the Perserikatan. After that, competition between clubs did not increase too much because Persija Jakarta was a club from a city that did not get support and was different from Persib Bandung with its traditional regional supporters who developed along with the club's achievements, but after the formation of a professional league in Indonesia in 1994, the supporters group in Indonesia began to develop and Persija Jakarta began to build a supporters group which is now increasing.[4]
In the early 2000s until now the rivalry has increased because of the hooliganism of both their supporters and the frequent involvement between the two clubs. The rivalry intensified again when their fan animosity was made into a film entitled Romeo and Juliet (Indonesian version) in 2009, a romance that was limited to the enmity of football fans. The match between them became an interesting spectacle in football in Indonesia with statistics and prestige between the clubs.[5]
Their supporters have never met after the start of hostilities between supporters of Persija and Persib in the 2000s, to date. Many conflicts occur including the death of one of the supporters and clashes which resulted in injury.
Persib
Persib fans often refer to themselves as Bobotoh. This name comes from the Sundanese language and literally means "a group of people who provide support, spirit and encouragement to those on the pitch". The most famous group of Persib supporters are the Viking Persib Club.[8]
Persija
Persija's supporters are called the Jakmania, founded in 1997 by Gugun Gondrong and Ferry Indra Sjarif. The Jakmania is one of the biggest football fan groups in Indonesia and use orange as their main colour, even though the club have since switched to red.
Deaths of fans
The rivalry has led to the deaths of many fans of both sides. On 5 March 2012, when Persija were hosting Persib at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Rangga Cipta Nugraha was killed with a chair by home fans after he celebrated a Persib goal. Rangga did not stop bleeding even when he was buried.
Another tragedy happened on September 23, 2018, when before a Liga 1 match between Persija and Persib began at the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium, Haringga Sirla, a Jakmania member, was killed by some unscrupulous Vikings.[9] Condolences for Haringga flowed from netizens throughout social media. In response to the incident, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) suspended Liga 1 for two weeks and forced Persib to pay a IDR 100 million (US$6,634) fine and play the remainder of their home matches of the 2018 season behind closed doors.[10]
Reconciliation
Until now, many parties want these two supporters to unite, but there are still many who provoke either from The Jakmania or Bobotoh, whether on social media or in real life. The dark past makes these two supporters difficult to unite, even to the point that there is a slogan, "Biarkan Permusuhan Ini Tetap Abadi", which means, "Let This Feud Remain Eternal" from one of the main figure Bobotoh frontman.
Following the Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster, Persija and Persib supporters participated in prayer ceremonies in Jakarta and Bandung while proudly wearing the club's attribute. Several subgroups of both sides declared to reduce aggressive fanaticism and promote a safe atmosphere at that moment.
