[Interview] Reds Around The World: Indonesia

[Anderstone]

Atas rekomendasi Andreas Budianto alias Gravedigga, gue diinterview oleh www.7cantonas.com dalam kolom Reds Around The World, tentang fans Man United di seluruh dunia. Ini interviewnya:
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Reds Around The World: Indonesia
www.7cantonas.com

Reds Around The World returns to Asia for this edition. Pangeran Siahaan is a Manchester United supporter from Indonesia. He is currently an officer in one of Indonesia’s Manchester United supporters groups – United Indonesia. Feel free to follow Pangeran on Twitter @pangeransiahaan.

How do you watch United in your country?
Via television. The English Premier League is aired on our free-to-air national TV.

What time of the day does United usually play in your time zone?
I live in Jakarta; it’s a GMT +6 time zone (+7 during DST). Usually Saturday 3pm kickoff in England means 9-10pm in my city. Midweek matches and European nights means I have to stay awake at 2 or 3 in the morning.

Does supporting United sometimes dictate your life? Would you miss sleep/class/work to see United play?
Yes, it does. Iv’e never missed class or work to watch United because the matches are usually in the evening Jakarta time. But when I was 12, I was in this science Olympiad which required me to be under the committee’s surveillance, spending nights in their dorm. I sneaked out of the dorm because there’s no TV there. Later on that night, David Beckham delivered two magnificent crosses which were converted to goals by Dwight Yorke when we defeated Inter Milan in 1998/1999 Champions League quarter-finals. I also remember refusing a dinner offer by my then-girlfriend’s parents because we were playing Liverpool that night. We knocked the Scousers down 3-0, that was when Wes Brown scored our first goal and Mascherano was sent off.

How did you become a Manchester United fan?
Well, they say that you don’t pick your football club, your football club picks you. The first time I watched football was back in 1994, the World Cup. I was 7. After a month of football festivity, I was longing for more football actions. But (it was) not until 1995 when I fell in love with Manchester United. As the champions, United received heavy coverage in our national TV channel which broadcasted Premier League. Unfortunately, we didn’t win anything in my first season following United. Lost the title to Arsenal and beaten in FA Cup final by Everton. Hence, anyone who says “glory hunter” in my presence shall remain silent.

Is anyone else in your family a Manchester United fan?
No. My old man introduced me to football, but he’s not following any. Growing up in the 70s, I think he has slight fondness of Liverpool, but not a fanatic one.

Are there a lot of fellow supporters around you?
I’m one of the officers in United Indonesia, an Indonesian Manchester United supporters club. There are three United supporters club here, each with their own distinctive ideology. I can’t tell which one the best, but if you want to watch the match with full noise and chants, ala Stretford End, in Jakarta, we’re the one you should find.

What makes you more drawn to Manchester United than your local team?
I was born and live in Jakarta, our local team is Persija Jakarta. My father was born in North Sumatera province, he supports PSMS Medan. That’s why he never taught me to follow my local team since he supports another team.

What was your most defining moment as a United fan?
The treble season. As mentioned above, I was in this science competition and one of the early favourites to win it having triumphed in previous occasions. Yet, I was knocked out in early stages and barely had the will to continue my life. I was devastated. I was seeking for consolation, that’s why I ran away from the dorm. Seeing us knocking Inter that night was a major relief. I needed months to recover my self-belief. Witnessing how often United came from behind that season, especially in Europe, made me believe to not give up. When Ole Gunnar Solksjaer scored that goal in Camp Nou, I took it as a personal victory.

How do you stay involved in the United community despite being so far from Old Trafford?
As I said previously, I’m an officer in United Indonesia. We always hold live broadcast events for every United match, regardless the time, even if it’s 3 in the morning. Last season’s Carling Cup semifinal replay against Man City saw 30 of us storming and chanting a sports bar at 3 in the morning. Most of us went to work/class straightly from there. Even when we faced Crawley last weekend, there were seven of us attending the broadcast. It’s amazing considering it’s played 1 in the morning, not to mention it’s Crawley.

Have you ever been to Old Trafford?
No, but if I had to pick between going to Old Trafford and watching United playing away, I’d go with the latter. Tourists go to Old Trafford, I don’t wanna associate myself with them. United away support is one of the massive in Europe, I want to be a part of it.

How long have you been supporting Manchester United?
16 years, since 1995. I was 8.

Is United your only team, or do you support different clubs in different leagues?
I also support PSMS Medan, an Indonesian club which currently plays in Divisi Utama (similar to Championship Division in England). Although born in Jakarta, I’m a Bataknese. PSMS Medan is a club representing our Batak identity. To give you a clearer image, it’s like a Geordie-born lad who lives in London but still supports Newcastle.

Do you feel like not living in Manchester makes it more challenging to be a fan?
From a perspective of watching games, yes. The most proper place to watch football matches is in the stadium.

Do you believe you’re on the same level as fans that come from Manchester?
Well, I believe that what makes football fans devoted to death to their clubs is because the club is representing them. The red-side people of Manchester, who were born and bred in that area, they hold United as their life and death, as a representation of their identity. I don’t think anybody who wasn’t born and live there can match that account, no matter how much money you have, or how many merchandise/jersey you own. I’ve done many things to watch United, some of them are crazy things. But I can’t compare myself with the Mancunian reds.

Have you ever encountered difficulties from fellow United supporters because of where you are from?
Let’s get frank. English people brand Asian supporters as “Plastics”. As an Asian myself, I can say most of them are. Many of us think donning United jersey or going to Old Trafford makes them the best supporters in the world. Bollocks. I rarely wear a United jersey when watching the games. My usual outfit is a black tracktop, same like our away supports colour. Because no matter United play home or away, I’ve always been an away support. Yes, I have encountered difficulties from Brits after they knew that I support United. Asians and Man United are just well-paired these days, eh? But none of them are United fans. I don’t know if it’s a reliable source or not, but Tony O’Neill in his book, Red Army General, said that United have had foreign supports since the sixties. It doesn’t matter where you come from because we follow the same crest, the same Manchester United. That explains why there is Cockney Reds in London.

What has been your greatest moment watching United?
As Clive Tyldesley put it in immortal commentary lines, “Can Manchester United score? They always score…” Along came Teddy Sheringham… and… I don’t need to continue the rest.

[VaDLi]

nice interview bro...

wah giliran gw kapan ya?

[rondwisan]

te o pe be ge te Oom Pang ...
two thumbs up deh ...
tuh malah empat ...

[gravedigga]

props to ya matey! Nice answers!

sorry jd ngerepotin elo Pang, gue kmrn bnyk kerjaan + sakit. Thanks buat kesediaannya.

Buat yg lain nanti kalau ada lagi yah gue ksh...

[Anderstone]

@andreas

gak ngerepotin sama sekali, gue malah demen diinterview, biasanya interview orang

thanks yg lain sudah membaca

[theater of dream]

What has been your greatest moment watching United?
As Clive Tyldesley put it in immortal commentary lines, “Can Manchester United score? They always score…” Along came Teddy Sheringham… and… I don’t need to continue the rest.

This....

[Jerome Morrow]

Originally Posted by Anderstone

Do you believe you’re on the same level as fans that come from Manchester?
Well, I believe that what makes football fans devoted to death to their clubs is because the club is representing them. The red-side people of Manchester, who were born and bred in that area, they hold United as their life and death, as a representation of their identity. I don’t think anybody who wasn’t born and live there can match that account, no matter how much money you have, or how many merchandise/jersey you own. I’ve done many things to watch United, some of them are crazy things. But I can’t compare myself with the Mancunian reds.

Setuju sama yang ini..

[zeavhere]

seperti biasa
om ini kalau ngejawab pertanyaan selalu keren dah

[dhodoadrian]

Are there a lot of fellow supporters around you?
I’m one of the officers in United Indonesia, an Indonesian Manchester United supporters club. There are three United supporters club here, each with their own distinctive ideology. I can’t tell which one the best, but if you want to watch the match with full noise and chants, ala Stretford End, in Jakarta, we’re the one you should find.

Have you ever encountered difficulties from fellow United supporters because of where you are from?
Let’s get frank. English people brand Asian supporters as “Plastics”. As an Asian myself, I can say most of them are. Many of us think donning United jersey or going to Old Trafford makes them the best supporters in the world. Bollocks. I rarely wear a United jersey when watching the games. My usual outfit is a black tracktop, same like our away supports colour. Because no matter United play home or away, I’ve always been an away support. Yes, I have encountered difficulties from Brits after they knew that I support United. Asians and Man United are just well-paired these days, eh? But none of them are United fans. I don’t know if it’s a reliable source or not, but Tony O’Neill in his book, Red Army General, said that United have had foreign supports since the sixties. It doesn’t matter where you come from because we follow the same crest, the same Manchester United. That explains why there is Cockney Reds in London.

10

jadi gak sabar nunggu interview yang lain

[Anderstone]

Originally Posted by Anderstone

Do you believe you’re on the same level as fans that come from Manchester?
Well, I believe that what makes football fans devoted to death to their clubs is because the club is representing them. The red-side people of Manchester, who were born and bred in that area, they hold United as their life and death, as a representation of their identity. I don’t think anybody who wasn’t born and live there can match that account, no matter how much money you have, or how many merchandise/jersey you own. I’ve done many things to watch United, some of them are crazy things. But I can’t compare myself with the Mancunian reds.

[

Originally Posted by Jerome Morrow

Setuju sama yang ini..

IMO, itu poin paling penting dari interview gue.