PSM Makassar Becomes Champion And Several Notes To Changes In League 1 Competition Format

Indonesian Precision Bhayangkara Player FC Anderson Salles (center). (Intermediate Doc)

JAKARATA - Throughout 2023, Liga 1 Indonesia recorded many interesting events that occurred despite being suspended for a while due to the Kanjuruhan tragedy in October 2022.

The 2022/23 Indonesian League 1 competition entered its second round at the beginning of 2023 and was colored by various events which of course we could not put aside its presence. In early 2023, when the 2022/23 Indonesian League 1 competition entered the second round, the competition for the championship title narrowed to three teams between PSM Makassar, Persib Bandung and Persija Jakarta. PSM Makassar which has appeared consistently since the 2022/23 competition successfully maintained its position at the top of the Indonesian League 1 standings.

Meanwhile, under coach Luis Milla, Persib Bandung was slowly able to push to the top and had several times ranked first in the standings. Furthermore, there is Persija Jakarta which continues to maintain a position at the top of the Indonesian League 1 standings after being handled from the start of the season by coach Thomas Doll.

As the 2022/23 Indonesian League 1 competition continued, PSM Makassar under coach Bernardo Tavares continued to consistently be at the top of the standings, while Persib and Persija experienced a ups and downs phase. Persib Bandung could not maintain consistency after having to lose to PSM Makassar in the cage with a narrow score of 1-2. After that defeat, Persib Bandung experienced a phase of ups and downs and the peak was when the defeat of Persija Jakarta with a score of 0-2, which also eliminated Maung Bandung's hopes to come out as champions. Almost the same as Persib Bandung, Persija Jakarta also experienced a phase of ups and downs, but in the end the Kemayoran Tigers were able to lock the position of both the final standings of Liga 1 Indonesia 2022/23.PSM Makassar Ends the Fasting of the Indonesian League After almost 23 years, PSM Makassar finally succeeded in ending the fasting of the Indonesian League competition title by coming out as the winner of the 2022/23 season. Ramang troops confirmed themselves as champions of the 2022/23 season after defeating the host Madura United with a score of 3-1 in the 32nd week of Liga 1 Indonesia. PSM's success came out as champions irrespective of their preparation from the start of the season such as the appointment of the new coach to the maximum pre-season preparation. In that season, PSM Makassar continued to get full support from its supporters for playing at home at the Gelora BJ Habibie Stadium, Parepare. When playing in Parepare, PSM Makassar had never tasted defeat at all, PSM Makassar had never experienced a nine points of Persija Jakarta in the second position and 13 points of Persib Bandung in third place. In addition to that, Tavares often asked PSM supporters to come to the stadium to provide support for their foster children both during the home or away match. At the final standing of the 2022/23 Indonesian League competition, PSM Makassar was ranked first with 75 points from 34 matches, a difference of nine points from Persija Jakarta in second position and 13 points from Persib Bandung in third place. In addition to the Indonesian League 1 season 2022/23, there was no degradation system that Indonesia's did not

On Monday (26/6), President Director of PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB) Ferry Paulus explained that the Liga 1 Indonesia 2023/24 will undergo a change in competition format. Fry explained that the 2023/24 Indonesian League 1 competition will be divided into two phases, namely the Regular Series and Championship Series.Regular series will be held July 1 2023 to April 28, 2024 with a full competition system. After completing the regular series, the top four clubs then follow the championship series stage using the knockout-out system, which will be held two legs home and away on 4-26 May 2024. The series will compete for the title and also teams to fill the AFC Club Competition 2024/2025 slot. In the 2023/24 Indonesian League 1 competition, PT LIB as the operator decides if each club can register a total of six foreign players consisting of five free players from any country and one player must come from and one of the ASEAN countries. Compared to the previous season, of course there will be an increase in the number of foreign players who can be registered, because in the 2022/23 season, each club can only have three foreign players free plus one from Asia. In addition, there is also a regulation that requires each club to play U-23 players in every match that plays for at least 45 minutes. Some of these new regulations certainly provoke pros and cons, but finally all parties can accept these decisions. In addition to several new regulations, the 2023/24 Indonesian League 1 competition also applies rules in which the supporter of the visitors is prohibited from being present in person at the away party.PSSI and PT LIB explained that this will be done over the next two seasons and is a form of evaluation of Kanjuruhan's tragedy. They added that this decision was already through consultation with FIFA so that every club participating in the 2023/24 Indonesian League 1 competition must comply with the regulation.

The surprise from Borneo FC Entering the Indonesian League 1 competition season 2023/24, Surprisingly Borneo FC was able to appear consistent and successfully ranked first until the end of 2023.Borneo FC recorded having collected a total of 51 points from 23 matches. The second place was occupied by Bali United who made 41 points. Meanwhile, the third place was occupied by Persib Bandung who collected 40 points from 23 matches, followed by PSIS Semarang in fourth place with 38 points from 22 matches. In addition to the top four positions, there was also a surprise in the relegation zone because it was filled by the big team namely Arema FC, Persikabo 1973 and Bhayangkara FC. The FC scheme occupies 16th place in the Indonesian League 1 standings with 21 points from 23 matches, five points from Persikabo 1973 in 17th place and six points from Bhayangkara FC in the caretaker position. At the end of the year or after the 23rd week, the Indonesian League 1 competition 2023/24 entered a break because the Indonesian national team would compete in the 2023 Asian Cup event in Qatar which took place from January to February 2024. The 24th week of Liga 1 Indonesia is planned to be held again on February 4, 2024 before experiencing a break period related to the 2024 election.