Year 7
The Case Of Ownership: No Money, No Talk!
(Season Preview)
The Case Of Ownership: No Money, No Talk!
(Season Preview)
The money has stopped coming in. No big signings were made by any of the Eramanian clubs this season. The owners have stopped or more accurately, paused their spending spree. Why? Simple. The election is over. This is a normal scene in Liga Eraman. It has always been like that. The first season after an election will always see a huge drop in spending by the clubs. This is because all the clubs are owned by wealthy politicians who have used a lot of their money in the recent election.
Football in Eraman is not profitable. But in football, no money no talk. So who got the money in Eraman? Politicians. Clubs stay afloat only because of cash injection by their wealthy owners. The owners and the government has always been the main source of income for the clubs. It’s not that there is no money coming in. The clubs do have several sources of income. Some of the top clubs do receive big sponsorships. Matchday tickets were sold out most of the time. But that is just a chunk of the club’s revenue. The clubs spent more than they earn. The ticket price is very low, ranging from $2.50 to $10. Official club merchandise sale is not as high as supposed to be due to widespread cheaper pirated merchandise in the black market. But all the owners want instant success, so they spend big money on foreign players.
Players’ salaries are overly inflated in Eraman with some foreign players earning up to $1.5 million per year while top local national team players earning up to $450k per year. The local non-national team players however only earn an average of $30k per year. The money to pay those salaries came directly from the owner’s pocket and the government’s coffers. Matchday tickets will never be able to cover that unless there is an increase in the ticket price which is very unlikely to happen soon. The owners will try as hard as possible to not anger the fans.
However, this will not mean that the clubs will fail to be competitive in the upcoming season. They have made big signings in the past few seasons and those players are still with the clubs. The last few seasons saw the Eramanian clubs spending big on foreign talents with the likes of Emma Balmer from Kohnhead, Peliniho from TJUN-ia, Manuel O’Neill and Dean Holcomb from South Newlandia, Gelereth Pirastadhaunden from Ko-ren as well as regional household names such as Rama Karyadi, Pandu Oka Jaya and Bayu Narmada from Pemecutan and Maxter, Irfan Danial and Ilias Rezal from Sharktail joining Eramanian clubs. These players are still in Eraman carrying their respective clubs on their shoulders.
Liga Eraman will still be action-packed with Royal Daulapura, Anara, Mitra, and Royal Puncakpura fighting for the title and the likes of Damaisari, Soma, Siasari, and Malkan making up the chasing packs. Let’s take a closer look at the clubs and their owners.
ANARA
CLUB DETAILS
Nickname : The City Boys
Stadium : Anara Stadium (25,000)
City : Anara, Daula
Manager : Sembara Bunian
Formation : 4-3-3 DM Wide
Media Prediction : 2nd
Worldwide Competition : IFCF Challengers Cup
Continental Competition : CMFA Champions League
Fierce Rivals : Royal Daulapura (Local)
Other Rivals : Malkan (Local)
Derbies : Capital Derby (vs Royal Daulapura)
Finances : Secure
Main Sponsor : Gukki (high-end basket producer)
PAST POSITIONS
71 - 2nd
72 - 1st
73 - 1st
1 - Postponed
2 - 2nd
3 - 3rd
4 - Postponed
5 - 3rd
6 - 2nd
Nura Rabima, the opposition leader as well as the owner of Anara had just seen his coalition, the People’s Alliance (TPA) lost again in the recent general election. However, he managed to retain his Ronan seat convincingly, a constituency in the state of Aru quite a distance from Anara and most importantly, remained as the state government of Daula.
Nura Rabima’s decided to buy Anara 8 years ago after TPA won the state election in Daula. He was born and raised in Ronan, a small settlement in the northern state of Aru. He has never been a fan of Anara at any moment of his life but decided to buy the club because of its high stature especially in the state of Daula, the richest and most populous state in Eraman which also contains Daulapura, the royal capital.
Anara has always managed to finish in the top 3 in all 7 seasons in 8 and a half years under the ownership of Nura Rabima, winning the league twice. He relied on an all-local side in his first season at the club, not making any big foreign signing because it’s the first year after an election but still managed to finish second in the league with their star-studded local players which consist of national players like Badang Gangsa, Mano Bosa, the Saputra brothers, and Buisan Buayan.
Nura Rabima first made his big-money signings in his second season with Anara. He used all the 5 foreign players quota for that season led by Tamika November, the center back from Nephara. It paid off with Anara winning the league for two consecutive seasons before the league stopped for a season after Eraman fall into chaos due to the annexation of Mitra & Soma.
Anara never won the league again after that. But it’s not because they are not trying. They splashed the cash to bring in Gelereth Pirastadhaunden from Ko-ren and he has been banging in the goals ever since. There is a sense of confidence though going into the new season. They acquired Sembara Bunian, the former Eraman and Southern Palm Islands national team head coach as their new head coach 3 years ago. They have made steady progress under Sembara Bunian and are hopeful that they can pose a serious title challenge again this season.
DAMAISARI
CLUB DETAILS
Nickname : The Villagers
Stadium : Damaisari Stadium (5,000)
City : Damaisari, Bakti
Manager : Tiwa Tani
Formation : 4-3-3 DM Wide
Media Prediction : 5th
Worldwide Competition : None
Continental Competition : None
Fierce Rivals : Siasari (Local)
Other Rivals : Royal Baktipura (Local)
Derbies : Northern Bakti Derby (vs Siasari)
Finances : Okay
Main Sponsor : Rotan Era (basket producer)
PAST POSITIONS
71 - 4th
72 - 4th
73 - 4th
1 - Postponed
2 - 4th
3 - 6th
4 - Postponed
5 - 6th
6 - 5th
The owner of Damaisari, Kadi Amengku is the president of the Eraman Traditionalist Party (ETP) as well as the leader of the third coalition, The Skullcap Brotherhood (TSB). They contested in 22 of the 55 seats in 5 of the 9 states in the recent general election but won only 3 seats, all in the state of Bakti, their main stronghold. One of the seats is Damaisari, a rural town of over just 50,000 people.
Kadi Amengku is rich but compared to some of the club owners in the league, he is worth peanut. However, they are blessed with local talents with several Damaisari-born players such as Felethi Arshis, Isileli Hiva, Buisan Buayan, and Badang Gangsa. As a result, they managed to qualify for continental football for 4 consecutive seasons after finishing 4th in the first 4 seasons of Liga Eraman.
The annexation of Mitra and Soma however made them lost the 4th best club tag as Mitra overtook them for the last continental spot for the last three seasons. They will fight again for the last continental spot this season. While Kadi Amengku can’t afford to make big signings, he is smart enough to look at Brenecia for aging free agents who are still a level higher than the Eramanians.
DUNYALAM
CLUB DETAILS
Nickname : The Rangers
Stadium : Dunyalam Stadium (5,000)
City : Dunyalam, Pasir
Manager : Tuah Bijaya
Formation : 4-3-3 DM Wide
Media Prediction : 12th
Worldwide Competition : IFCF Liga B Champions Trophy
Continental Competition : None
Fierce Rivals : Dinisurya (Local)
Other Rivals : Royal Pasirpura (Local)
Derbies : Northern Pasir Derby (vs Dinisurya)
Finances : Okay
Main Sponsor : EraBet (bookmaker)
PAST POSITIONS
71 - 4th (2)
72 - 1st (2)
73 - 12th
1 - Postponed
2 - 2nd (2)
3 - 8th
4 - Postponed
5 - 12th
6 - 2nd (2)
The owner of Dunyalam is the new second most powerful man in the country, Madin Arcin, the new Deputy Bendahara of Eraman as well as the vice president of ENP. He is also the head of the state government of the southern state of Pasir. He is as rich as any of the owners in Liga Eraman. But Madin Arcin never pumped his own money into the club.
Dinisurya has a lucrative $1 million per year sponsorship deal with the nation’s number one bookmaker, EraBet. The sponsorship deal was signed when Madin Arcin was overseeing the state police as the Temenggung of Eraman. That deal alone is enough to cover the expenses of the club. Madin Arcin doesn’t have to fork out his own money.
Dinisurya is a small town in the state of Pasir where football is not as big as in other states. Expectations are not high. So Dinisurya is happy to bounce from the top and second division since the inception of Liga Eraman with an all-local side. They will once again field an all-local side for the upcoming season and are expected to fight bravely to avoid relegation.
MALKAN
CLUB DETAILS
Nickname : The Farmers
Stadium : Malkan Stadium (10,000)
City : Malkan, Daula
Manager : Tewila Sinamitra
Formation : 4-3-3 DM Wide
Media Prediction : 7th
Worldwide Competition : IFCF Cup Winners Cup
Continental Competition : None
Fierce Rivals : Anara (Local)
Other Rivals : Galra (Competitive)
Derbies : Northern Daula Derby (vs Anara)
Finances : Insecure
Main Sponsor : Bank Pertanian Eraman (private bank)
PAST POSITIONS
71 - 2nd (2)
72 - 7th
73 - 7th
1 - Postponed
2 - 6th
3 - 4th
4 - Postponed
5 - 5th
6 - 8th
Despite retaining his Malkan seat, Nusa Kumar, the owner of Malkan is one of the losers of the recently concluded general election after being dropped from the cabinet by the new Bendahara, Rendra Usin. He is merely a Member of Parliament now after being in the cabinet for the last 8 years.
The seafood tycoon nicknamed King Prawn oversees the development of agriculture and plantation in the country for the past 8 years as the Deputy Bendahari in the Tun Senglang Petara, the previous Bendahara’s cabinet. That was when he signed the $500k per year sponsorship deal with Bank Pertanian Eraman, a private bank that provides financing solutions to the agriculture sector.
The sponsorship deal has been the main source of income for Malkan ever since. Nusa Kumar is not a big fan of football. So he doesn’t pump his own money into the club. The fans’ expectations are not high anyway. So they run on a tight budget. Relying on local players for most of their league campaign. Despite that, they still managed to qualify to continental competition once from their 6 seasons in the top flight.
Malkan will run on a tight budget and rely 100% on local players again this year. They have done well to finish in the mid-table comfortably since being promoted to the top flight 7 seasons ago and are expected to stay clear from the relegation battle again.
MITRA
CLUB DETAILS
Nickname : The Pirates
Stadium : Mitra National Stadium (25,000)
City : Mitra, Mitra
Manager : Made Setiawan
Formation : 4-3-3 DM Wide
Media Prediction : 3rd
Worldwide Competition : IFCF Challengers Cup
Continental Competition : CMFA Champions League
Fierce Rivals : Soma (Local)
Other Rivals : None
Derbies : Mitra and Soma Derby (vs Soma)
Finances : Secure
Main Sponsor : Visit Mitra (government tourism campaign)
PAST POSITIONS
71 - 1st (MSM)
72 - 1st (MSM)
73 - 1st (MSM)
1 - Postponed
2 - 1st (3)
3 - 2nd (2)
4 - Postponed
5 - 2nd
6 - 4th
The owner of Mitra, Nyoman Lesmana is the newly appointed Deputy Laksamana overseeing Eraman’s foreign affairs, MP of Tara, and the younger brother of the new head of Mitra state government, Made Lesmana. The Lesmana family is the most powerful family in the state of Mitra with their family members holding important positions in the Mitra Chapter of the Mitra and Soma Heritage Party, the ruling party in Mitra and Soma.
They gained wealth when their eldest brother, Wayan Lesmana was appointed as the Minister of Forestry in the Mitra and Soma government long before it was annexed by Eraman. They made their fortune through timber exports and has been one of the richest family in the state of Mitra ever since. With the money at their disposal, Mitra dominated the defunct Mitra and Soma League.
They started in the third division of the Eraman league after the annexation of Mitra and Soma into Eraman, much to the dismay of the Mitranese and Somanese. They were unhappy that their team who are regularly playing in a continental competition suddenly have to play against a bunch of amateurs. But two back-to-back promotions saw them competing in a top league once again two seasons ago.
Mitra quickly showed the whole country that they are a force to be reckoned with after finishing second in their debut season in the top Eraman league. In their third season in the top league now, Mitra will again be looking for a title push this season.
ROYAL ARUPURA
CLUB DETAILS
Nickname : The Labourer
Stadium : Arupura Stadium (20,000)
City : Arupura, Aru
Manager : Kitchi Diman
Formation : 4-3-3 DM Wide
Media Prediction : 11th
Worldwide Competition : IFCF Liga B Champions Trophy
Continental Competition : None
Fierce Rivals : Jagal (Local)
Other Rivals : Haran (Local)
Derbies : Aru Derby (vs Jagal)
Finances : Insecure
Main Sponsor : Lima Mata Ikan (frozen seafood brand)
PAST POSITIONS
71 - 5th
72 - 5th
73 - 5th
1 - Postponed
2 - 9th
3 - 10th
4 - Postponed
5 - 11th
6 - 1st (2)
The owner of Royal Arupura, Govind Linggam is the head of the Aru state government and MP for Saribas. He is also the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), an important party in the opposition People’s Alliance coalition. He came from an opposition political family background with his father, Sena Linggam being the Chairman of LDP and MP for Pasirpura.
Govind Linggam was handed the ownership of Royal Arupura by its previous owner, the King of Aru a year after the People’s Alliance first won the Aru state election 8 years ago because the king is not interested in football. The problem is Govind Linggam is not interested in football as well but does not dare to reject the request of the king. He is not the wealthiest person around as well. So he tried to run the club professionally with the limited resource that he has.
Royal Arupura was widely regarded as the 5th best club in the country when Govind Linggam took over the club and they maintained that in his first two seasons with the club. But with other clubs increasing their spending as it gets nearer to an election, Royal Arupura dropped in the standings and found themselves fighting against relegation. They were finally relegated after three seasons fighting against relegation but bounced back immediately to win Liga Eraman 2 last season.
Back in the top league this season, they are expected to have a long season fighting against relegation again this time around with their 100% local side.
