Persema Malang

Persema Malang

Full name	Persatuan Sepakbola Malang
Nickname(s)	Bledeg Biru (Blue Lightning)
Founded	8 October 1934; 90 years ago (8 October 1934) as PST Tumapel 20 June 1953; 71 years ago (20 June 1953) as Persema Malang
Ground	Gajayana Stadium Malang, East Java, Indonesia
Capacity	25,000
Manager	Christian Ariando[1]
Coach	Ahmad Bustomi[2]
League	Liga 4
2023	4th in Group H, (East Java zone)
Home colours Away colours

Persema, an acronym for Persatuan Sepakbola Malang is an Indonesian football club based in Malang, East Java. They currently compete in the Liga 4.[3]

History

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 yet to secure a trophy throughout its tenure in the Indonesian Super League, consistently occupying mid to lower positions in the standings. The team faced relegation to Indonesia's Division One (third-tier) in 2003. However, within two seasons, Persema successfully returned to the second-tier league. Subsequently, Persema earned promotion to the ISL in 2009 and remained in the league until shifting to the LPI in 2011.

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

• Bima Sakti
• Siswanto
• Muhammad Kamri
• I Komang Putra
• Sukasto Effendi
• Irfan Bachdim
• Kim Kurniawan
• Caue Benicio
• Jairon Feliciano Damásio
• Robert Mark Gaspar
• Seme Pierre Pattrick
• Brima Pepito Sanusie

References

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

• Persema Malang on Instagram