Football Indonesia

Goran Gancev is one of the nomads of the Indonesian League. The veteran defender has featured for PSMS Medan, Persebaya, Semen Padang, Borneo, Arema, Gresik United and now Sriwijaya FC.

His sort of footballing story is rarely told. He was capped at Under-21 level for his native Macedonia and then pinballed around other Leagues in Eastern Europe before ending up travelling to Indonesia for a new start one Christmas Day.

Gancev has island-hopped in Liga 1 too. But, as he nears the end of his career and starts a family, he reflects on his career, the countries in which he has played, the Indonesian experience and what lies ahead.

He spoke to me in outside a shopping mall in Palembang in the most recent break in Liga 1. Please forgive the background audio.

Jacksen F. Tiago is one of the biggest characters in Indonesia football.

As a strong, free-scoring striker, he won the League with Persebaya in 1997 and, after retiring, coached the same team to same honour six years later.

Since then, Tiago has led Mitra Kukar, Persipura Jayapura and had a spell in charge of the Indonesian national team. He is currently coaching Barito Putera, a small club who have been among the front-runners in GO-JEK Liga 1 during the first half of the campaign.

Speaking during the break for Ramadan, Tiago talked about his career as a player and on the sidelines. He also discussed his potential solutions to the problems in Indonesia football, the special reasons he has stayed so long in this country, the importance of intelligent players, WhatsApp and his attacking philosophies.

You have to listen to the passion of Jacksen F. Tiago.

Peter Butler has had one hell of a life in football.

The midfielder scored in all four professional divisions in England during a playing career spanning more than 500 games. He then forged a profession as a coach in Africa and south-east Asia.

His CV includes Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa Thailand, Myanmar, Botswana, Australia and, of course, Indonesia.

I spoke to him in the break in the GO-JEK Liga 1 season for Ramadan. He had led Persipura Jayapura into contention for the title. However, a few weeks after this interview, Butler would part ways with the club.

As you would expect, the Yorkshireman has strong views on the sport in Africa and Asia. But he also talks with passion and perspective on the English game.

Peter Butler has had a unique career in football, going to places and achieving things others have not.

He is worth a listen.

Kim Kurniawan has had a tough road to success as a professional footballer.

The midfielder suffered a couple of career-threatening injuries and had to travel thousands miles away from the country of his birth. However he has battled back to become a crucial part of the squad at Persib Bandung

Right now, he is recovering from a broken leg but he spoke to Football Indonesia about football, life and, of course, Persib Bandung.

The 2018 Liga1 campaign is nearly upon us. One of the most eye-catching pre-season signings has been Mitra Kukar’s capture of Danny Guthrie.

The midfielder has extensive experience in the Premier League and The Championship in England. He rose through the ranks at Liverpool then featured for a host of other clubs, notably Newcastle, Reading and Blackburn

But what made Guthrie swap Ewood Park to East Kalimantan? How has he found the transition and what does he want to achieve in Indonesia.

Arthur Irawan is a rarity in Indonesian football.

He comes from Jakarta but received his education in the game in England, Spain and Belgium with the likes of Manchester United, Espanyol and Malaga. In 2017 he returned back home to spend his first full season playing in Indonesia.

But it was far from plain-sailing.

In this podcast he talks about his injury-hit time with Persija Jakarta last term, education abroad, Manchester United, his tech start-up, his religion, dealing with criticism on social media, moving positions and where he might play his football next season.

He discussed:

2:00 How he ended up at Manchester United’s academy

3:29 He famous team-mates at Manchester United

4:39 The differences between English, Spanish and Indonesian football

9:19 his spell in Belgium and his first major injury

9:59 Returning home

11:20 Signing with PSM in pre-season and Persija for the start of GO-JEK Traveloka Liga 1

12:20 Settling on right-back after moving around differe

We are deep in the close season of GO-JEK Traveloka Liga 1. So Indonesian football blogger Antony Sutton (aka Jakarta Casual) has returned to discuss the progress of the first season back after the FIFA ban. We talked over the following:

Bhayangkara becoming champions
Bali United's title challenge and the end of season
The foreign players - Essian, Odemwingie, Zakora, Sissoko, Cole etc
The new regime at Persib Bandung
The incredible story at newly-promoted Persebaya
The AFC Champions League and AFC Cup team
Changes for 2018

The race for the Liga1 title is hotting up and Bali United are in the thick of it.

My guest is Nick van Velden, a veteran midfielder from the Netherlands who joined the Islanders last summer.

Educated in the Ajax academy, Van der Velden went on to play for a host of sides in the Dutch top flight, winning the Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar in 2009 under the guidance of Louis van Gaal.

He is going for a second title this year with Bali at the same time as he ponders the most important decision any footballer can make.

Marc Anthony Klok is a defensive midfielder with PSM Makassar.

The 24-year-old grew up in Holland but played in England, Scotland and Bulgaria before arriving in Indonesia at the start of this season.

With just a few games left in GOJEK Traveloka Liga 1, Makassar are in the thick of the title race. We talk bout that, the possibility of AFC Champions League and his new life. But Marc is an interesting character who thought long and hard before arriving in Indonesia. He wants to represent his adopted country and use social media to grow his brand and his business.

Raphael Maitimo plays for the biggest club in Indonesia, Persib Bandung. The Dutch midfielder learnt the game with the best players his country has produced in recent year but his career took a different path - to Asia. He tells us about life as a player in Indonesia.

Antony Sutton describes himself as "a freelance writer based in South East Asia looking at football from the terraces, the sofa or the pub."

He writes the popular blog Jakarta Casual and has just published a book on the Indonesian game. He explained the challenges the sport faces in Indonesia and reveals the detail behind the FIFA ban that saw the league and national team cease playing for two years.

Welcome to Football Indonesia, a podcast looking at the beautiful game in a beautiful country. Indonesia is the most populous nation in which football is the No1 sport, however its history has been complicated and difficult. There was renewed hope in 2017 when a two-year FIFA was lifted and a new league began.

In this first episode of Football Indonesia, I asked Raphael Hartman, Head of Marketing at Liga Indonesia Baru, to the scene and tell us how the new event was created with four weeks notice.