Persema, an acronym for Persatuan Sepak Bola Malang is an Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

n football club based in Malang

Malang

Malang is the second largest city in East Java province, Indonesia. It has an ancient history dating back to the Mataram Kingdom. The city population at the 2010 Census was 819,708. During the period of Dutch colonization, it was a popular destination for European residents. The city is famous for...

, East Java

East Java

East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...

. They play in Indonesia's breakaway football league, Liga Primer Indonesia (LPI). In the Indonesian media, the tautology

Tautology (rhetoric)

Tautology is an unnecessary or unessential repetition of meaning, using different and dissimilar words that effectively say the same thing...

 Persema Malang is often used.

History

The club was officially established in 1953, with primary funding from Malang's municipal budget. It was part of the Indonesian Super League

Indonesian Super League

Indonesia Super League is the highest level of Liga Indonesia. ISL is a professional competition for football clubs in Indonesia. This competition is managed by PT Liga Indonesia, under supervision of the Football Association of Indonesia...

 until January 2011 when they hosted LPI's inaugural match and stopped relying on public funds. The other local team, Arema Malang

Arema Malang

Arema Football Club is an Indonesian football team based in Malang, East Java. It is one of the most supported and successful football clubs in Indonesia. They currently play at the Indonesian professional league, the Indonesia Super League ....

, is one of the most successful clubs in ISL. The team's nickname is "Laskar Ken Arok" while its home stadium is Gajayana Stadium

Gajayana Stadium

Gajayana Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Malang, Indonesia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is home stadium of Persema Malang. The stadium holds 35,000 people. Currently, the stadium is being upgraded to reach the capacity target of 40,000 people....

.

Persema has never won a trophy during its years in the Indonesian Super League, mostly dwelling in the mid to bottom part of the table. The team was relegated into Indonesia's Division One (third-tier) in 2003. However, after two seasons, Persema bounced back to the second-tier league. Persema eventually gained promotion to the ISL in 2008 and stayed there until its 2011 shift to LPI.

Persema is now popular as the club that first hired European-born naturalized players Irfan Bachdim

Irfan Bachdim

Irfan Haarys Bachdim is an Indonesian footballer who is currently playing for the Indonesian football club, Persema Malang. His father, Noval Bachdim, is an Indonesian former footballer of Arab-Javanese descent while his mother is Dutch.-Early career:...

 and Kim Jeffrey Kurniawan

Kim Jeffrey Kurniawan

Kim Jeffrey Kurniawan is an Indonesian football player, currently playing for the Indonesian football club Persema Malang. He gained fame in Indonesia after the Indonesian Football Association decided to naturalize Kurniawan for their "naturalization program." On December 6, 2010, he officially...

 whose nominations to the Indonesian under-23 national football team in 2011 were cancelled by the Indonesian Football Association because they chose to play in the breakaway league. Its coach Timo Scheunemann is a German who was born and bred in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

 and has become a father figure in Indonesia for Bachdim and Kurniawan. His ability to speak Bahasa Indonesia and Javanese

Javanese language

Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...

 makes him popular among local journalists.

2011–12 Squad

In

Emile Mbamba

Émile Mbamba

Émile Bertrand Mbamba is a Cameroonian football striker, who currently plays for Indonesia Premier League side Persema Malang...

 (from   Bontang FC) Deniss Kačanovs

Deniss Kacanovs

Deniss Kačanovs is a football defender from Latvia, currently playing for Persema Malang in Indonesia Premier League.- Club Career :...

 (from   Skonto)

Team Officials

Role	Name
Manager	Ir Hadi Santoso
Media Officer	Husnun Juraid
Head Coach	Slave Radovski
Doctor Team	dr Subagyo SpB SpBTKV & Satrio Hadi
Physiotherapist	Mathias Ibo Mathias Ibo Mathias Ibo is a Indonesia national football team's and Persema Malang physiotherapist. He is the first physiotherapist that the national team ever had. Mathias is Indonesian of Switzerland descent...

CONMEBOL

Franco Martin Hitta Adrian Trinidad

Adrian Trinidad

Adrian Trinidad is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Persik Kediri in the Liga Indonesia.-Perth Glory:Adrian played his first game for Perth Glory against the Newcastle Jets in which he scored his first and only goal for the club.Trinidad came under some criticism from opposition...

 Cauê Benicio

Cauê Benicio

Cauê Benicio is an Brazilian footballer who plays for Vietnamese club Hà Nội T&T in the V-League. He has a European passport and have played for various clubs in Europe.-References:...

 Jairon

Jairon Feliciano Damasio

Jairon Feliciano Damásio, known simply as Jairon, is a Brazilian professional football player.- Characteristics :...

CAF

Abanda Herman

Abanda Herman

Abanda Herman is a Cameroonian footballer who plays as a centreback. His height is 192 cm.He wears the number 4 shirt in Persija and he has scored 5 goals in his career in Persija. He also already got 1 red card in a league match against Arema FC.Herman previously played for PSM Makassar.-...

 Christian Lengolo Julien Mbom Mbom Bako Sadissou Joe Nagbe

Joe Nagbe

Joe Thunder Armstrong Nagbe is a Liberian former football midfielder. He has had at least ten years playing in Europe, starting off like George Weah with Monaco then on to Nice. He has been playing in Greece over the last three years...

 Brima Pepito

Local players

Irfan Bachdim

Irfan Bachdim

Irfan Haarys Bachdim is an Indonesian footballer who is currently playing for the Indonesian football club, Persema Malang. His father, Noval Bachdim, is an Indonesian former footballer of Arab-Javanese descent while his mother is Dutch.-Early career:...

 Ahmad Bustomi

Ahmad Bustomi

Ahmad Bustomi is an Indonesian footballer. Currently he plays in Indonesia Super League for Mitra Kukar. Before joined Mitra Kukar He played in Persikoba Batu, Persema Malang, and Arema Indonesia. He is one of the 2007 Sea Games team member Ivan Kolev upbringing. His favourite player is Bima Sakti...

 Siswanto

Siswanto

Siswanto is an Indonesian footballer who currently plays for Sriwijaya. His height is 165 cm tall. He plays either as a midfielder or a striker.-References:...

 Sutaji

Sutaji

Sutaji is an Indonesian footballer who currently plays for Persema Malang as a midfielder.-References:http://www.goal.com/id-ID/people/indonesia/27737/sutaji...

 Arif Suyono

Arif Suyono

Arif "Keceng" Suyono is an Indonesian footballer, whose nickname is "Keceng", refers to his skinny appearance. He currently plays for Mitra Kukar in the Indonesia Super League....

External links

• http://www.pssikotamalang.com/
• Persema Malang at Liga Primer