Arema to Meet Persib in Final of Bhayangkara Cup

Jakarta (Antara) - Indonesian soccer club Arema Cronus of East Java will meet Persib Bandung of West Java in the final of the Bhayangkara Cup 2016 tournament on Sunday (April 3, 2016).

Both the clubs defeated their respective rivals in the semifinals of the tournament which saw the participation of Arema Cronus, Bali United, Mitra Kukar, and Persib Bandung, in addition to Persija Jakarta, Persipura Jayapura, PS Polri, and PS TNI. The other clubs were Pusamania Borneo FC and Sriwijaya FC.

The Bhayangkara Cup 2016 began on March 17 and will conclude on April 3, 2016. The final match will be held at the Bung Karno main sports stadium in Jakarta.

The tournament was divided into group A and group B.

Group A had Sriwijaya FC, Persib Bandung, PS TNI, and Pusamania Borneo, in addition to Mitra Kukar. They played at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Gianyar in Bali.

Group B comprised Arema Cronus, PS Polri, Persija Jakarta and Bali United, in addition to Persipura. They played their matches in Si Jalak Harupat Soreang in Bandung district, West Java.

On Thursday (March 31), Arema of group B defeated Sriwijaya FC of South Sumatra 1-0 at the Kanjuruhan Kepanjen stadium in Malang District, East Java.

The lone goal scored by striker Alfarizie in the 45th minute made sure Arema advanced to the final round of the tournament on Sunday.

In the early minutes of the first half, Arema breached through the opponent's defense, and its player Cristian Gonzales even had a golden chance to score a goal.

But the Arema's players could not tackle the opponent. Sriwijaya showed equal grit and found loopholes in Arema's game.

Although both teams had opportunities to score goals, only one could successfully send the ball home in the 45th minute, thanks to an Alfarizie header.

Meanwhile, Persib of group A beat Bali United, also 1-0,  at Si Jalak Harupat Soreang in Bandung District on Wednesday.

The single goal for Persib was scored by substitute striker Tantan in the 78th minute.

Persib's coach Antonic Dejan's decision to field his fast players, namely Tantan and David Laly, after the water break in the second half effectively changed Persib's strategy, as proven by the lone goal that it scored.

Persib's supporters, better known as "bobotoh" joyously greeted their squad's victory. Bobotoh will now be excitedly looking forward to Persib in the final match in Jakarta.

Apart from that, Persib's coach Antonic Dejan proved that new players can help the squad advance into the finals.

Persib now has an opportunity to grab another trophy after it won the Indonesia Super League (ISL) 2014  and the President's Cup 2015.

In the meantime, chief of West Java Provincial Police, Inspector General Jodie Rooseto, has asked the supporters of Persib not to indulge in any provocative acts during the finals.

The Bhayangkara Cup tournament was officially opened by President Jokowi at the Si Jalak Harupat Soreang stadium in Bandung District on March 17.

The Bhayangkara Cup 2016 organized by the national police organizing committee, offers a cash prize of Rp2.5 billion to the champion.

Previously, national police chief General Badrodin Haiti had expressed the hope that the tournament will be able to yield talented soccer players, help unite the people of the country and improve their level of nationalism.

At the end of August 2015, the government had organized the President Cup as a professional soccer tournament aimed at resuming soccer as a competitive sport across the country after a hiatus of several months.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had opened the President Cup Tournament 2015 at the "I Wayan Dipta" Stadium in Gianyar, Bali, on August 30. The tournament saw the participation of 16 soccer clubs.

Following the President Cup tournament, the government held the General Sudirman Cup 2015 soccer tournament which was opened by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on November 10, 2015. (*)
(B003/INE)