Persib, the Proud Face of West Java

"Persib is the language of hate." A quote from Ayi Beutik, founder of the Viking Persib Club, explains how Persib has become a cultural identity of West Java and has even become an inseparable part of the hearts of the people of West Java. The closeness of the West Java public to Persib was captured in the results of a Kompas Research and Development survey conducted on July 1-5, 2025, of 400 respondents in West Java.

The majority of respondents (75.3 percent) feel they are part of the supporters of Persib. The identity of Persib supporters has also become a social and cultural symbol that is intertwined with the identity of the Sundanese people as the largest ethnic group in West Java.

The survey results also found that 86.6 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that Persib represents the Sundanese community. Supporting this data, 88.3 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that Persib unites the Sundanese people. The findings from this survey illustrate how Persib is ingrained in the collective consciousness of the community as a representation of regional identity and Sundanese culture.

The symbolic strength of Persib, which is intertwined with the identity of West Java, is reinforced by 88.3 percent of respondents who agree with the statement that Persib represents the identity of West Java. Persib, as the face of West Java football, seems to be the "national team" of the Sundanese people. The strong primordial bond is a distinctive characteristic of Persib supporters. As a club, regardless of the circumstances, it can be said that Persib will not lose its supporters due to such a deeply rooted identity connection.

Sociologist Richard Giulianotti in his journal entitled "Supporters, Followers, Fans, and Flaneurs: A Taxonomy of Spectator Identities in Football (2002)" groups football fans into four classifications: supporters, fans, followers, and flaneurs. The four are in different quadrants with opposing characteristics. Supporters and followers have strong regional identity ties and a sense of belonging to a traditional club, the difference between the two groups is the tendency to act aggressively towards other supporter groups.

Meanwhile, the other two groups, fans and flaneurs, are more fluid and tend to be formed from the consumerism of the sports industry, with products serving as a bridge between clubs and their potential supporting market. A modern business and lifestyle approach is more prominent in the relationship patterns between clubs and fans and flaneurs.

In this taxonomy, Persib supporters can be classified into supporter and follower categories. The intertwined bonds of identity, intertwined with territorial proximity and hereditary traditions, make Persib more than just a football club. In the eyes of its supporters, Persib embodies their spirit and pride.

The cultural identity of Persib cannot be separated from the long history of the club's existence in the Sundanese region. The long history of Persib began during the Dutch East Indies era. The establishment of the Bandoeng Indlandsche Voetbal Bond (BIVB) on January 5, 1919, marked the beginning of Persib's history. Previously, the widely recognized anniversary of Persib was March 14, 1933.

BIVB was established as an association of several indigenous football clubs in the city of Bandung at that time. Representatives of BIVB also attended a meeting among the administrators of seven indigenous football clubs in the Dutch East Indies in Yogyakarta on April 19, 1930, which marked the founding of the All-Indonesian Football Union (PSSI) as the indigenous football federation in the Dutch East Indies. The federation later changed its name to the All-Indonesian Football Association and has remained the official football federation of Indonesia to this day.

The achievements of Persib are quite impressive throughout the football competition in Indonesia. It is recorded that "Maung Bandung" has won the championship five times during the Perserikatan era and four times during the professional league era. The Indonesian professional football competition began after the merger of the Perserikatan and Galatama competitions since the 1994/1995 season.

Persib became the champion in the inaugural season of the Indonesian League edition 1994/1995. Nineteen years later, Persib once again claimed the championship title in 2014. Two consecutive championship titles were achieved by Persib in the Indonesian League 1 for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons.

The recent achievements of Persib over the last two seasons demonstrate its dominance as a central force in football in Indonesia. Persib Bandung has undergone a long journey from a community club to a modern sports business entity. One pivotal event was the financial crisis that occurred just before the start of the 2009 Indonesian Super League season, which nearly prevented Persib from participating in the competition.

At that time, football clubs had to be managed by autonomous legal entities and could no longer receive funding from local governments. As a result, the Bandung City Government divested 70 percent of its share ownership to investors to continue the management of Persib.

The release of the shares marks a new era for Persib under the entity PT Persib Bandung Bermartabat, the largest share of which is owned by a consortium initiated by Glenn Sugita and several other investors. The ownership structure is layered through companies such as PT Suria Eka Persada and PT Sugi Global Persada.

Meanwhile, 30 percent of the shares of PT PBB are held individually by Kuswara S Taryono, Umuh Muchtar, Zainuri Hasyim, Iwan Hanafi, and Yoyo S Adireja, who have been appointed as commissioners.

The privatization has a significant impact on Persib, especially for the 36 internal clubs that have long been the foundation for the development of local players. After the management was transferred to PT PBB, these 36 internal clubs lost their ownership shares in PT PBB.

This condition seems to sever the historical connection of Persib with grassroots football development in Bandung. Although it has caused disappointment, the new management of Persib considers this simplification important to support a new, more professional business model.

The strength of capital transformed Persib from a mediocre club at that time into a new force in the national football competition. After waiting nine years for a title since last winning in the 1995 season, Persib once again claimed the championship of the highest tier in the 2014 season.

Recently, Persib consecutively won the Liga 1 championship in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons. Persib became the second team after Bali United to achieve consecutive championship titles in the Liga 1 competition format.

The achievements and renowned reputation of Persib have become an attraction for players to join. Several times, Persib has surprised the public by recruiting prominent names. In 2016, Persib signed Carlton Cole and Michael Essien, two players who had long competed in the English League.

This season, Persib made another surprise transfer, bringing in two Indonesian national team players, Thom Haye and Eliano Reijnders, who previously played in the Dutch League. According to data compiled by Transfermarkt, Persib is the team with the highest estimated market value in Indonesia. Thom Haye, Persib's new recruit, is also the player with the highest estimated market value in the 2025/2026 Indonesian Super League season.

However, the financial power in football does not always align with the spirit of this popular sport. Modern football positions clubs as business entities that must be commercialized in such a way as to achieve optimal profits. In the context of Persib, this has occurred with the loss of ownership of shares in 36 internal clubs.

Persib is now owned by investors. The commercialization of this football club has also positioned supporters as potential consumers, rather than being part of the traditional bond between the club and the region where it is located.

As a comparison, the lively atmosphere of Persib matches, which used to be filled with spectators up to the edge of the field at Siliwangi Stadium, now feels different when the audience sits in the seats of Bandung Lautan Api Stadium. Modern football management now demands the implementation of orderly and accountable matches, such as the management of ticket sales through applications.

The consequences of the increase in ticket prices for matches, which is one of the club's sources of income, are difficult for its supporters to accept. It is not surprising that there has been tension between the supporter groups and the management regarding the management of match tickets.

Therefore, managing supporter bases also needs to be a priority for club management. Pride and affection for a club serve as symbolic assets that can support its sustainability when expressed in constructive ways, such as purchasing official merchandise.

On the contrary, if not managed properly, it could become a ticking time bomb that tarnishes the reputation of Persib. In the past year, tensions between Persib supporters and other supporter groups have occurred several times.

On the other hand, the cultural dominance of Persib in the realm of football in West Java indirectly stifles the existence of other clubs originating from the region. Now, there are no longer any West Java clubs from the era of the Perserikatan competing in the highest tier other than Persib.

Another West Java club that last competed at the highest level is Persikabo 1973, a club resulting from the merger between Persikabo Bogor Regency and PS TNI. Meanwhile, in the Championship or the second tier, there is only Persikad Depok, but its entity is already different from the Persikad of the Perserikatan era, which dissolved in 2017.

The clubs from the Perserikatan era in West Java may only have PSGC Ciamis remaining, which still competes semi-professionally in the Nusantara League. Meanwhile, other clubs are struggling in amateur leagues. The clubs from the Perserikatan era in West Java are falling one by one because they can no longer bear the operational costs and participate in competitions. The fate of other clubs in West Java seems to be waiting for their turn to collapse, whether to be acquired later or to be forced to disband due to a lack of funds.

Although not a political entity, Persib and its prominent name inevitably serve as capital to gain electoral support. Several political figures in West Java have had affiliations with Persib, although they have not openly used it for campaigning.

The figures include West Java Deputy Governor Erwan Setiawan, who is the son of Umuh Muchtar, Commissioner of PT PBB; then Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan, who previously served as the Marketing Director of Persib. In addition to the management, several former Persib players are also involved in politics, such as Atep Rizal, who ran for Deputy Regent of Bandung in the 2020 Regional Election, and Markus Haris Maulana, who is a candidate for a legislative member of the Bandung City Regional House of Representatives in the 2024 Election.

Thus, Persib Bandung can be seen as a nexus of various dimensions of interest: from cultural identity, sports, business, to politics. These diverse interests have led to its current status as one of the forces in the national football industry.

The excellence in achievements, financial strength, and symbolic capital as the cultural identity of the people of West Java support the foundations of Persib to continue showcasing West Java, even while navigating through the intertwining of interests. (KOMPAS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT)