By: Wari, Editorial Board Member of JayaNews.Com.
Football is not just 22 people chasing a ball.
Football is about feeling. About us.
Football stirs deep emotion.
When 70,000 people at GBK sing Indonesia Raya with tears in their eyes. No one tells them to; everyone simply stands. A child in Sliyeg, watching on a cracked mobile screen, clenches their fist in solidarity. In that moment, we remember: we are Indonesia.
Football brings sorrow.
When the final whistle blows and we lose in the 93rd minute. The stadium falls silent. Heads hang low. In the coffee shop, no one speaks. We walk home with heavy steps, as if it were not the team that lost, but we ourselves.
Football brings regret.
Regret over a shot that sailed over the bar. Regret that the referee didn’t check VAR. Regret that our own talents weren’t nurtured seriously back in the day. Regret that arrives too late, after it is all over.
Football brings pride.
Pride when a village kid from Indramayu gets to wear the Garuda jersey. Pride when a player of Indonesian descent, born in the Netherlands, kisses the Garuda emblem on his chest. Pride because, for 90 minutes, we stand as equals with Japan, with the Arab nations, with the world.
Football brings joy, tears, and happiness.
Three emotions arriving all at once. We leap, we shout, we embrace the stranger standing next to us. We weep—not out of weakness, but because the happiness is too overflowing to keep to ourselves. In that moment, fathers, youths, and children are all the same.
Football unites us.
Outside the stadium, we have different choices, ethnicities, professions, and fates. But inside the stadium, we share one name: Indonesia. There are no people from Indramayu, Java, or Papua. There is only one thing: We are Indonesia.
Football ignites our spirit.
It inspires us to believe again. If we lose today, we look to the “next match.” If we fall today, we train again tomorrow. Football teaches us never to stop hoping.
And football is a dream.
The dream of a child playing barefoot on village rice-field ridges, dreaming of one day playing at GBK.
The dream of a father hoping to see the National Team reach the World Cup before he grows old.
The dream we all share—that from a small village, from a muddy field, we can soar to the greatest heights.
That is football. It is never just about a 1-0 or 2-1 scoreline.
It is about tears falling, laughter erupting, and chests swelling with pride.
Through football, we learn what it means to be human; we learn sportsmanship, respect for others, and the importance of fairness and honesty.
Indramayu, October 6, 2026.
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