Now That the Indonesian League is at 36 spot in the World what’s there to say?


BY:Wleh Bedell

The Liga Premier Indonesia is no doubt a “major talk about league” as far as the promotion or development of Liberian football is concerned. Since one Stephen “Goal King” Weah joined Barito Putra Galatama FC in Indonesia in the 94’/’95 league season, a plethora of Liberian footballers have been showcasing their talents there with Sam Chebli becoming the first Liberian to win a championship medal with Persikota and the likes of Zah Rahan Krangar, Anthony Jomah Ballah, Murphy Nagbe, Edward Junior Wilson, Perry Sah Kollie, Fallah Johnson, James Koko Lomell and close to other seventy Liberian footballers either winning various medals and playing in the Asian club championship or have won individual accolades like the top scorer crown the Most Valuable Player award.

But, from a more intrepid standpoint, football in that part of the world from a Liberian perspective is very much disrespected, overlooked or is just brushed aside as many connoisseurs say it is a lowly rated league and organization or competitiveness is lacking as they insinuate that players plying their trade there are not of high caliber.

Thus, there has often being discontentment in football circles when players from the world’s largest Muslim state are called upon or are invited to form part of the senior national team the Lone Star for competitive matches.

They argue that the Coaches or technical crew lack seriousness as the Lone Star is heading for doom when players from Indonesia are invited. During the reign of ex-international and former tactician Frank Jericho Nagbe for example, players from Indonesia flooded the Lone Star list which was during the qualifier of the 2008 African Nations Cup where the Lone Star ultimately ended at the basement of a group that comprised the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun, Rwanda’s Amavubis and the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea.

Though Jericho’s predecessor Kadala Kromah and his successors Anthony Hey and Bertalan Bicskei (peace to his ashes) also found interest in working with players from there as they were probably keen on what one plays order than where one plays, the Indonesian league issue has always being a major talking point with many branding it a “league of joke”.

But, it seems there could either be more argument or a succumb by the league’s detractors with the news that the highly rated and respected organization the International Football Federation of History and Statistics (IFFHS) based in Germany with branches in a huge part of the world releasing a list of the world’s best 122 football leagues which places “the much talked about Indonesian league” at what many would describe as an astonishing spot where the league has eclipsed the likes of China and Qatar (37),Czech Republic ( 42), Cyprus (47), Romania (48), Tunisia (50), United Arab Emirates (UAE), (51) the United States of America (52), Norway (53), Poland (68), Denmark (74) etc. The league is thus the 36th best league in the world and the seventh in Asia.

Sorry to bore you of some of the ranking as far as the leagues are concerned, but not to further bore you, the link that can be checked to authenticate such writing is stipulated below. http://www.iffhs.de/?b6e20fa3002f70d00ee2d17f7370eff3702bblc2bb0e
Since 1991, the IFFHS has been meticulously engaged in releasing a list of the world’s best leagues and the link above will as well give the criteria used. World Football governing body FIFA recognize this group as they have being working collaboratively for the continued development of football world wide and comprises experts in the area of football whose work cannot be doubted or ignored.

With the Spanish Premira Liga remaining the best league in the world, the English Premier League is at fourth spot with the Argentine Premira Division and the Brazilian Serie A’ at second and third respectively. The Italian Serie A’ is fifth followed by the Super Liga of Portugal, and the leagues of Paraguay and Colombia, while Ligue 1 of France and the Bundesliga of Germany are tenth and eleventh respectively. Also, the Republic of Korea remains the strongest league in Asia, while the Nigerian Premier league is the best in Africa and at number 21 in the world.

For those who are stereotype when making judgment as it relates to the global game as they tend to argue that the best leagues are selected based on the class of players, television coverage, or huge investment or salary must realize that these are just untrue as the link above gives a pellucid explanation on the criteria used, and that the English Premiership is at fourth spot may not be believed by its religious followers, but they must however live up to the reality as the experts have spoken, and with FIFA and all other football federations including UEFA, CAF etc., having no qualms, it is therefore no need to cry over spilt milk as such list is released in July of each year and has since being hailed by the key actors and institutions in world football.

One major lesson learned from this list also is that the game is evolving as it is now every where on the planet where every one or country is keen to make strides. So, the idea of gains been made in the game is not stagnate as various countries are hungry to make amends in order to succeed, and since it is now from the experts, the highly rated pundits pundits, the undisputed football judges that the Indonesian league is the 36th best league in the world, the major question that may be short in terms of words, but Herculean in terms of answer is that “now that the Indonesian league is at 36 spot in the world what’s there to say?