Galatama
Galatama (an acronym for Liga Sepak Bola Utama, Premier Football League) was a semi professional football league in Indonesia, established in 1979 by the Indonesian Football Association, PSSI. Prior to the establishment of the competition, an amateur football league named Perserikatan had existed since 1931. Both Perserikatan and Galatama existed and run in parallel until 1994 when they were both merged to form a new, unified league called Liga Indonesia.[1]
History
Until 1979, the Perserikatan was the only national-level competition in Indonesia. The competition is an amateur competition. Starting in 1979, Football Association of Indonesia started a semi-professional league, named Liga Sepak Bola Utama (English: Premier Football League), shortened to Galatama. Galatama is one of the pioneers of professional and semi-professional football league in Asia alongside the Hong Kong League.
Throughout its history, Galatama always operated in a single-division format except for the 1983 and 1990 seasons, when it was divided into two divisions.
Until the 1982 season, Galatama allowed the recruitment of foreign players. One of the most famous foreign players in the competition is Fandi Ahmad (Singapore) who played for Niac Mitra. He successfully led his club to win the Galatama title and he also became an honorary citizen of Surabaya as an award for his performance with Niac Mitra. Fandi Ahmad and other foreign players were forced to ply their trade outside of Indonesia because of the foreign players ban imposed in Galatama.
After a few seasons, the popularity of Galatama is starting to decline. The cause of the decline is blamed on the banning of foreign players, match-fixing allegations, and also referee bribery scandals. The declining popularity of the league amongst the Indonesian football fans forced many of the league's member clubs to withdraw one by one.
In 1994, Galatama and Perserikatan were merged into the fully professional Liga Indonesia.
List of champions
Galatama
| Season | Winner | Result | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979/1980 | Warna Agung | Jayakarta | |
| 1980/1982 | Niac Mitra | Jayakarta | |
| 1982/1983 | Niac Mitra | 3-2 | UMS 80 |
| 1983/1984 | Yanita Utama | 1-0 | Mercu Buana |
| 1984 | Yanita Utama | 2-0 | UMS 80 |
| 1985 | Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian | 1-0 | Arseto |
| 1986/1987 | Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian | 4-2 | Pelita Jaya |
| 1987/1988 | Niac Mitra | 3-1 | Pelita Jaya |
| 1988/1989 | Pelita Jaya | 2-1 | Niac Mitra |
| 1990 | Pelita Jaya | 1-1 | Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian (Pelita Jaya won 4-2 in 1990 by penalty shootout) |
| 1991/1992 | Arseto | Pupuk Kaltim | |
| 1992/1993 | Arema Malang | Pupuk Kaltim | |
| 1993/1994 | Pelita Jaya | 1-0 | Gelora Dewata |
Galatama First Division
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Angkasa |
| 1983 | Semen Padang |
| 1990 | Assyabaab Salim Group Surabaya |
List of top scorers
| Season | Name | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979/1980 | Hadi Ismanto | Indonesia Muda | 22 |
| 1980/1982 | Syamsul Arifin | Niac Mitra | 30 |
| 1982/1983 | Dede Sulaeman | Indonesia Muda | 17 |
| 1983/1984 | Bambang Nurdiansyah | Yanita Utama | 16 |
| 1984 | Bambang Nurdiansyah | Yanita Utama | 13 |
| 1985 | Bambang Nurdiansyah | Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian | 9 |
| 1986/1987 | Ricky Yacob | Arseto | 9 |
| 1987/1988 | Nasrul Kotto | Arseto | 16 |
| 1988/1989 | Mecky Tata & Dadang Kurnia | Arema Malang & Bandung Raya | 18 |
| 1990 | Ricky Yacob | Arseto | |
| 1991/1992 | Singgih Pitono | Arema Malang | 21 |
| 1992/1993 | Singgih Pitono | Arema Malang | 16 |
| 1993/1994 | Ansyari Lubis | Pelita Jaya | 19 |
References
- ↑ (Indonesian) Sejarah Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia (PSSI)
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