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Just let us enjoy the game: Women battle harassment in Indonesian soccer
A forum of female enthusiasts, as well as other groups, is trying to create space in Indonesian soccer so all supporters can safely enjoy watching the sport from the stands.
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Spreading awareness: Putri Rahmadhani, a Persija Jakarta supporter and member of Forum Perempuan Dalam Sepak Bola (Forum for Women in Soccer), holds up a mobile phone with a message urging “the creation of stadiums free from sexual harassment”. The 24-year-old criminology students stresses that public education is still pivotal to combating sexual harassment. (Courtesy of Putri Rahmadhani/-)
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occer is one of the most popular sports in Indonesia, if not the most popular sport, according to cloud-based analytics platform Databox’s latest report, which showed that at least 69 percent of all Indonesians loved the game.
Yet, the sport has yet to embrace gender equality, especially with regard to female soccer fans.
Soccer is still viewed in many parts of the world as a masculine sport dominated by men. This has led to gender-based discrimination and harassment on and off the pitch, particularly targeting female fans of the sport.
Indonesia is no exception, and female fans are exposed to both physical and verbal harassment when watching a game. “Women don’t understand anything about soccer,” is an oft-heard criticism, but harassment by male supporters of the same team is also common.
One of the most widely reported incidents of harassment against a female supporter happened just two years ago on March 8, 2020, when renowned male soccer commentator Rama Sugiarto made a sexist comment referring to a female fan during a Liga 1 match between Persita Tanggerang and PSM Makassar, broadcast live on TV.
“We are seeing something that stands out but it’s not talent, it’s something big, but it’s not hope. What is it, dude?” he said on O Channel as the camera spanned over the crowd of spectators.
Netizens immediately lashed out against him, and Rama apologized.
