INDONESIA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
WORLD RANKING: 173
GOVERNING BODY:-
Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia (PSSI)
HEAD COACH:-
Shin Tae-yong
CAPTAIN:-
Evan Dimas
MOST CAPPED PLAYER:-
Bambang Pamungkas (86 caps)
TOP GOALSCORER:-
Soetjipto Soentoro (43 goals)
HOME STADIUM:-
Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta
NICKNAME:-
Merah Putih (The Red-White)
Tim Garuda (The Garuda Team)
RIVALS:-
Malaysia
The Indonesia national football team represents Indonesia in international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI).
This was the first Asian team to participate in the FIFA World Cup, which was the 1938 edition of the tournament, after its opponent, Japan, withdrew from the qualification heats.
The 6–0 loss to eventual finalists Hungary in the first round of the tournament in Reims remains the nation’s only appearance in the World Cup.
Thus, Indonesia holds the World Cup record as the team with the fewest matches played (1) and one of the teams with the fewest goals scored (0).
The team’s only Olympic appearance was in 1956 when they held the eventual gold medalists the Soviet Union goalless even though they lost 0–4 in the replay.
The Indonesian national team has qualified for the AFC Asian Cup on four occasions but never progressed beyond the group stage.
Indonesia’s best performance in Asia was at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo when they won the bronze medal.
The team has reached the AFF Championship final ties on five occasions but has never won the tournament.
They share a local rivalry with the top ASEAN teams from which the one against Malaysia is considered the fiercest due to cultural and political reasons.
Football in Indonesia
Association football is the most popular sport in Indonesia, in terms of annual attendance, participation and revenue.
It is played on all levels, from children to middle-aged men.
Liga 1, the Indonesian domestic league is popular. The national body is the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI).
The Indonesian football league started around 1930 in the Dutch colonial era.
Indonesian football league system
The Indonesian football league system is a series of league systems for football clubs in Indonesia.
Since 1994, Liga Indonesia is the league competition featuring association football clubs, as a result of two existing top-flight football leagues merger: Perserikatan (amateur) and Galatama (semi-professional).
Liga Indonesia is managed by PSSI, the Indonesian national football federation.
There are three levels of competition in the hierarchy recently. The top two in the hierarchy are professional competitions, whereas the rest are amateur.
Liga 1 is the first-tier of the football league in Indonesia. Until 2017, it was known as the Indonesian Super League. The second tier is Liga 2, formerly Premier Division.
Liga 1 and 2 are professional leagues and governed by PT. Liga Indonesia Baru.
The only amateur league is Liga 3. Liga 3 consists of an unlimited number of amateur teams.
Every province, in total 34 provinces in Indonesia, holds its own provincial league and the number of teams per province may vary.
The winners of the provincial leagues will advance to the national playoff round or national round.
Level 1 – Liga 1
Liga 1 is the men’s top professional football division of the Indonesian football league system.
Administered by the PT Liga Indonesia Baru, Liga 1 is contested by 18 clubs and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Liga 2.
The top-flight professional league started in Indonesia from the 2008–09 season onwards. Prior to the 2008 reforms, the national competitions used a tournament format.
Liga 1, which started in 2017, is the latest rebranding of the league.
Thirty-six teams have competed in the top-tier league of Indonesian professional football, which has gone through multiple rebranding.
Eight teams have been crowned champions, with Persipura Jayapura holding the record for winning the national title four times (2009, 2011, 2013, 2016).
Persipura in 2009 also topped the inaugural version of the league, known as the Indonesian Super League until 2015.
Level 2 – Liga 2
Liga 2 is the second-tier of the football league system in Indonesia, organized by PSSI.
Before 2017, this competition was named the Liga Indonesia Premier Division (from 1994 to 2007, it was the top-tier division in the Indonesian football league system).
Level 3 – Liga 3
Liga 3 is the lowest tier in the Indonesian football league system.
Formed as Liga Nusantara in 2014, this league occupies the third tier and consisted of 2 rounds: provincial qualification—held in every province in Indonesia, and national round, competed by provincial qualifiers (number varies between provinces).
In 2017 Liga Nusantara was renamed Liga 3, along with the Indonesian Super League and Indonesian Premier Division, which were renamed Liga 1 and Liga 2, respectively.