Latest news with #ErickThohir
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
End of Oxford's tour of discovery
Both of Oxford's matches in Indonesia were interrupted – the first by floodlight failure and the second by monsoon rain of epic proportions. The weather in the final against Thai side Port FC undoubtedly contributed to the outcome – Port's winner came during the deluge. Had it been Elliott Moore lifting the trophy, not his beaming counterpart, the initial assessment of the trip would, I am sure, be largely positive. Even when results don't really matter, they kind of have done a lot right out here, even making kids in an orphanage smile with a mass kick-about. Those who think footballers are all cynical should have seen this group of players there. They won't forget those children and I applaud their private actions after the visit. If you drew up a list of EFL football managers past and present that you might expect to see being paraded on an imitation lion carried by four men as part of a local custom…Gary Rowett would be a long way down it. He was respectful and didn't refuse when invited to climb aboard at a news conference. He styled it out and by doing so he has gone up in most people's team will have got over the defeat by Port almost before they had dried out. More minutes in the legs, some game-time for youth team products. Mark Harris will be pleased with his golden boot for being tournament top rise to the Championship – and staying there - has been in no small part because of the funding from Erick Thohir and others in South East Asia. The latest growing pains are maybe being felt by the team and coaching staff more than the supporters. A 7,000-mile trip in pre-season is probably not the absolutely ideal preparation for the new season, but there is a reason big clubs make these trips, even though they're often was a tour of discovery for those who travelled at relatively short notice to support the team, but it was too for Oxford United itself - a tentative exploration of a potentially massive market, where no particular European team appears to have a stranglehold. But the gap between the richest and poorest is a chasm, and monetarising Oxford's new found popularity will be a challenge in Indonesia. They missed out on £250,000 of prize money when they lost the final, the injuries picked up prove debilitating as the Championship season opens? Has United's reputation been significantly enhanced? Will they be able to tap into this emerging economy? We only know the true value – or cost - of the trip further down the invested a lot in this trip – not financially, the first class travel and accommodation was all laid on - but in terms of energy and emotion. I am sure there will be a fierce internal debate about whether it should 'one and done' for such a tour, or whether it would be folly not to try and learn from - and build on - what has been achieved here this time…. and, as they say in football, 'go again'.You can find part one of Jerome Sale's tour recap below.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
U's fan reflects on opening game in Indonesia
OXFORD United do pre-seasons differently now, writes Mark Gelder. It used to consist of runs up and down Shotover Hill. Now the club is majority owned by a consortium led by two Indonesians, Anindya Bakrie and Erick Thohir, and have been invited to play in the President's Cup. So last Friday, I was on a flight to Jakarta. Some 17 or 18 hours later, I landed and was hit by the 30 degrees heat. A different type to the UK where you can just find a spot in the shade. The cab from the airport to the hotel was like the old game Crazy Taxi with cars and mopeds all switching lanes and using the narrow hard shoulder to get an edge on their way. I had booked a few nights along with a few others at a hotel right next to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. U's boss rides lion during press conference: Day seven in Indonesia Saturday evening, I went down to the hotel bar to find another four Oxford fans, and later we were up to eight as various flights and transfers arrived. We spent the evening working out who had seen Oxford in most countries outside of England. Sunday was game day. In the hotel a few hours before kick-off, we were now up to around 10 or 12 fans. A few of us wore replica shirts/ OUFC branded tops. The rain was lashing down and I couldn't see the match being on. However, rain and thunderstorms in Jakarta seem to appear afternoon to dusk and then disappear. By 6:30pm, it had stopped and we made our way to the ground. Match tickets were bought online – only £3 as well! Lots of food and snack stalls on the outer perimeter, but no programmes or merch. Our group went up to the top tier of the east stand opposite the dugouts, and those with flags tied them over the railings and we gathered in the front row of that tier, and a few others joined us. Pre-match, an Indonesian singer entertained us for a couple of songs, then hundreds of kids were set out in groups of either red or white kits on the running track. The stadium announcer ran through the teams in both languages, but seemed to have learned his English presentation style from watching American sports, with a rising intonation calling out each player name in full with all middle names. Huge cheers from the home fans for Romeny and Marselino. A long introductory speech was then made with the speaker having several pages of notes. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE OXFORD MAIL ONLINE (Image: Newsquest) Eventually we got to the actual match build-up. Fireworks and light shows, mobile phone flashlights, the kids all doing keepy-uppies on the running track, more kids holding club banners on the pitch, the unveiling of the cup trophy. The Indonesian national anthem was sung in full, and as they had omitted ours, we sang the traditional two verses of God Save the King, and got applause from home fans near us. As for the game, we were well ahead from the start, and I think playing more of an exhibition game than a pre-season. We let off shots and attacks when in league football we would have been more measured. In defence we perhaps were more minded not to get yellow cards or more importantly any injuries. The match finished with a couple of late goals for Indonesia All-Stars to make it 6-3, which kept the scoreline more respectable. The total crowd was 41,026, and a real mix of kids and mums and dads. We saw a few locals with Oxford Romeny/ Marselino shirts, some apparently had been studying at Oxford. At half-time and then at full-time, it took perhaps half an hour extra to get out with Indonesian fans wanting to take pictures with the Oxford and England flags and fans. All in all, an enjoyable evening.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Oxford's nine-goal thriller in front of 40,000 fans
"I was at Wembley last year, I was at Northwich Victoria in the Conference, but this is something else," one supporter told us after Oxford United had beaten the Indonesian All-Stars 6-3. Those fans and staff who remember the dark days of 15 years ago were struggling to take in what was admittedly a surreal scene. More than 40,000 fans cheered as loudly for Oxford United's Indonesia internationals Ole Romeny and Marselino Ferdinan as their own All-Stars All-Stars were selected by public vote for the game - representing the U's was owner Erick Thohir who helped plunge a Britain's Got Talent type red buzzer before kick-off to launch the President's took control of group A, netting six times in a nine-goal and Ferdinan entertained, with the former even demonstrating keepy uppies in open play to thrill the crowd if not one or two of his United goals came from Mark Harris (2), Michal Helik, Tom Bradshaw, Przemyslaw Placheta and record signing Brian De Keersmaecker, who in his first Oxford appearance curled in a left-footed shot from 25 yards after shaking off defenders with a from Dutch club Heracles a week ago, the 25-year-old Belgian said: "It's great to score a goal, especially on my debut."Normally I am used to playing preparation games in front of 500 people, this was an incredible atmosphere."Oxford have now travelled on the 225mph "Whoosh" bullet train from the Indonesia capital to Bandung, 100 miles south where there will play club side Arema FC on Thursday and where they will be firm favourites to progress to Sunday's final.
New Straits Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysia say 'no friendly' to Indonesia
KUALA LUMPUR: For a change, the national football team get to say no to others. For years, Malaysia found it hard to get teams to play international friendlies against them due to the country's low world ranking. But this time, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) has reportedly turned down an invitation from the Indonesia FA (PSSI). Indonesian media reported PSSI president Erick Thohir as saying that their proposal to have a friendly with Harimau Malaya in September was turned down by FAM. "We have long missed playing against Malaysia. One opportunity was during the Fifa window in September. We extended an invitation to Malaysia. "However, perhaps the Malaysia senior team have other considerations as they are currently in the process of strengthening the squad," said Erick. He said fans, too, are eager to see a clash between these Southeast Asian rivals, who have not faced each other for some time. Their last meeting was four years ago with Indonesia beating Malaysia 4-1 in an AFF Cup match. FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman confirmed that Malaysia had rejected the PSSI invitation as national head coach Peter Cklamovski has other plans for Harimau Malaya.
The Star
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Tensions rise between Garuda and pilots' union over recruitment
The Garuda Pilot Association has urged President Prabowo Subianto and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir to conduct a thorough evaluation of the newly appointed management at the airline. — The Jakarta Post JAKARTA: Tensions are rising between flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and its pilots over disputes regarding the new leadership's hiring policy. The Garuda Pilot Association (APG), part of Garuda's employee union, has urged President Prabowo Subianto and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir to conduct a thorough evaluation of the newly appointed management at the airline. This came after the recent recruitment of several former employees of Lion Air, the country's largest private airline, a move APG described as one of the main sources of conflict between management and staff. 'We've identified several irregularities in the recruitment process that must be reviewed, particularly from a good corporate governance standpoint,' APG vice-president Rendy Wiryo Kusumo was quoted by Tempo as saying. Mufti Anam, lawmaker at the House of Representatives' Commission VI, which oversees SOEs, raised similar concerns during a meeting in May, citing unverified reports that the new hires were paid from 25 million rupiah to 117 million rupiah, adding roughly one billion rupiah to Garuda's monthly payroll expenses. The pilots union deemed the amount as unusual and criticised the move as inconsistent with a push from the government and the company for cost efficiency. It urged management to conduct an evaluation to ensure the airline's sustainability, in upholding safety standards and delivering top-tier services to customers. Garuda reported a US$75.9mil net loss in the first three months of this year. Last year, it reported a US$29.9mil net loss. The airline had just averted bankruptcy after it acquired creditor approval to restructure its liabilities in mid-2022. The hiring decision also raised eyebrows, as Garuda Indonesia's current chief executive officer (CEO) Wamildan Tsani Panjaitan, appointed by the SOEs ministry last November, is a former CEO of Lion Air. Beyond the hiring controversy, the union has also flagged poor communication between Garuda's management and employee representatives. APG accused the management of viewing the union as an adversary rather than a strategic partner, noting that the company even reported several union leaders to the police over public statements. The union condemned the abrupt halt of automatic payroll deductions for union membership fees, interpreting the move as a sign of bad faith that further strained labour relations. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
