Monday, December 20, 2010

Jakarta Diary Saturday December 19


Being interviewed by a bunch of television stations Sunday morning about the team. This was after breakfast as the team went of to rest and prep for the limbering session. The interviews were about the itinerary of the Philippine team. Imagine that. There was a demand for information on what the team was doing. Of course, I didn't answer questions about strategy etc.


Snuck out to go to the Ambassador Mall (a washout bleech!) then went to the nearby Senayan Plaza where I snapped this in-store billboard of the Merah Putih's stars like Bambang Pamungkas (who is leading his teammates from out of the trapdoor that takes you to the dugouts. Pretty awesome. All authentic jerseys were sold out throughout Indonesia. They have a really nice design to their kit. You have to see it up close to appreciate all the detail.


On the way to the Gelano Bung Karno Stadium for Match #2. Our hotel is just next to the stadium complex but because of the traffic and sheer number of people watching the game it took us an average of 45 minutes to get inside. That's Rob Gier watching a fan wave an Indonesian flag outside.


With me good friend Chris Greatwich at the Bung Karno pitch before the game.  The picture below I snapped a few seconds after Cristian Gonzales unloaded a vicious volley to score. Fans were lighting up flares all over. The Indonesian Football Association was warned about exploding fireworks during goal celebrations and that didn't deter them one bit. That's one hell of a support system they have there. Incredible. I've watched football matches abroad and I can say that it is similar to Italy and Spain.

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