Buoyant about Indonesian football

Keeping it clean: Bojan Hodak getting disinfected before heading to his team PSM Makassar’s training. Photo from PSM Makassar Official Facebook page.

MUCH-travelled Croatian coach Bojan Hodak is enjoying a second wind in football-mad Indonesia.

Hodak was previously with the national Under-19 team but, when his contract was not renewed last year, he opted to venture out to take charge of Indonesia Liga 1 side PSM Makassar.

The 48-year-old had only led the team in four matches when the Covid-19 pandemic forced all football activity in Indonesia to a screeching halt.

The Malaysian permanent resident rushed back to Kuala Lumpur to be with his family but the 2½ months in South Sulawesi still has him excited, thanks to the passionate fans of PSM Makassar, nicknamed the Red Fish.

“There was a sellout crowd in the stadium when they unveiled the players and coaches for the new season. This never happens in other countries in the region but in Indonesia, it’s a common thing, ” said Hodak.

“Indonesian football has tremendous potential, they have passionate fans and they are the type who will back the team whether they win or not. The fans are also a big financial contributor to the team through gate collections.”

Hodak said the financial impact of Covid-19 will hit the smaller leagues in South-East Asia and predicts it will take between six and 12 months for the industry to get back on track.

“Three months of no football can kill a club in this part of the world. Teams will lose out on gate collections, sponsorships and broadcasting rights, more so in Indonesia as gate collection is huge, ” said Hodak.

“Some clubs depend solely or partly on funds from their respective governments or agencies but now these funds are being used to fight Covid-19. Clubs with not much sponsors will feel the impact more and their players will suffer from pay cuts.”

Hodak is best remembered for guiding Kelantan to a historic treble by winning the Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup in 2012. He also guided Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) to their first Super League title in 2014.

He said players from Malaysia could make an impact in the Indonesian league but most wouldn’t take the leap as the money is better in the M-League.

One player he would love to bring to Indonesia is former national goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat of Melaka.

“I see M-League players have the potential to take on the Indonesian league. The players in Malaysia have the quality and I believe Khairul Fahmi can make an instant impact, ” said Hodak.

Former international Safee Sali was the last Malaysian to feature in Indonesia when he turned out for giants Pelita Jaya from 2010-2011 and Arema Cronus in 2013.

He had to return when FIFA suspended the league in 2012 and 2015 for government interference. Hodak said Indonesian football was still recovering from the suspensions.

“The issue is that only the top clubs here can now offer more than the M-League teams and it’s the same in Thailand too. The money is so much better in Malaysia and you can see more players from Thailand and Singapore playing in the M-League.”

Hodak said a better administration and development programme in Malaysia was another reason why the M-League and Malaysian football are in good shape.

However, he has warned that the other South-East Asian countries are fast catching up with their systematic planning and youth development.

“Indonesia is still lacking in several departments, especially grassroots development.

“They have a huge population and proper planning and a lot of funds are needed to achieve it, ” said Hodak.

“Malaysia’s National Football Development Programme (NFDP) gives them the headstart in the development of young talent. The key is to keep improving and updating the programme and, if possible, expanding it so all states are on the same page.

“My own experience from working with the NFDP boys was that they were better technically and tactically compared to Youth Cup players who came directly from the states.”