Persema, an acronym for Persatuan Sepakbola Malang is an Indonesian football club based in Malang, East Java. They currently compete in the Liga 3.[3]

Persema Malang
Full namePersatuan Sepakbola Malang
Nickname(s)Bledeg Biru (Blue Lightning)
Founded8 October 1934; 89 years ago (8 October 1934) as PST Tumapel
20 june 1953; 70 years ago (20 june 1953) as Persema Malang
GroundGajayana Stadium
Malang, East Java, Indonesia
Capacity25,000
ManagerChristian Ariando[1]
CoachDwi Karyawanto[2]
LeagueLiga 3
20234th in Group H, (East Java zone)

History edit

The club was officially established in 1953, with primary funding from Malang's municipal budget. It was part of the Indonesian Super League until January 2011 when they hosted LPI's inaugural match and stopped relying on public funds. The other local team, Arema FC, is one of the most successful clubs in ISL. The team's nickname is "Bledeg Biru" while its home stadium is Gajayana Stadium.[4]

Persema has never won a trophy during its years in the Indonesian Super League, mostly dwelling in the mid to bottom part of the table. The team was relegated into Indonesia's Division One (third-tier) in 2003. However, after two seasons, Persema bounced back to the second-tier league. Persema eventually gained promotion to the ISL in 2009 and stayed there until its 2011 shift to LPI.

Persema is now popular as the club that first hired European-born naturalized players Irfan Bachdim and Kim Jeffrey Kurniawan whose nominations to the Indonesia national under-23 football team in 2011 were cancelled by the Football Association of Indonesia because they chose to play in the breakaway league. Its coach Timo Scheunemann is a German who was born and bred in Indonesia and has become a father figure in Indonesia for Bachdim and Kurniawan. His ability to speak Indonesian and Javanese makes him popular among local journalists.

Notable former players edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Dugaan Pengaturan Skor, Persema Minta Ngalamania Tak Terprovokasi". beritajatim.com (in Indonesian). 17 November 2021. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Makin Percaya Diri di Liga 3, Persema Malang Tekuk Persikoba Batu 4-1". jawapos.com (in Indonesian). 11 October 2021. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Profil Klub: Persema Malang". pssijatim.com (in Indonesian). 11 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Stadion Gajayana Malang". 30 October 2009. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010.

External links edit