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Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Balikpapan, commonly known as Persiba Balikpapan, is a professional football club based in Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The club plays in the Championship, the second tier of Indonesian football.
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| Full name | Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Balikpapan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Beruang Madu (The Sun Bear) Selicin Minyak (Slippery as Oil) | ||
| Short name | PBA PSBA | ||
| Founded | 3 August 1950[1][2] | ||
| Ground | Batakan Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 40,000 | ||
| Owner | PT Persiba Beriman | ||
| Chairman | Riyandi Ramadhana | ||
| Head coach | Leonard Tupamahu | ||
| League | Championship | ||
| 2025–26 | Championship Group 1, 9th of 10 | ||
| Website | www | ||
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The club is nicknamed Beruang Madu (The Sun Bear), taken from the city mascot of Balikpapan. Founded in 1950, the club plays its home games at the Batakan Stadium, which has a capacity of 40,000. In the media, the tautology is often used to distinguish the club from another club with the same acronym, Persiba Bantul. Another nickname given is Selicin Minyak (slippery as oil) because Balikpapan is the center of the Indonesian oil and gas industry.
Persiba plays in all-blue kits at home matches. Their rivals are Borneo and Mitra Kukar, two clubs also based in the East Kalimantan province.
History
editEarly years
editThe club, dubbed Tim Selicin Minyak, was founded on August 3, 1950.[3] Since 1950, this club has competed in various tournaments at the provincial and national levels. Before becoming the name of Persiba Balikpapan, the initial name of the club, the pride of the city of Balikpapan, was PS Belalang before changing its name to Persiba Balikpapan in 1963.[3]
1980s: Golden era
editThe 80s were indeed the golden age of Persiba.[4] This club runs nonstop. The 1983 Third Division title was just the beginning. Persiba competed with the host Persisam Samarinda, which seized the top position. In the last match, the East Kalimantan capital team needed a 7–0 victory to finish first. That number is almost fulfilled. Luckily for Persiba, the PSTK Tarakan prevented one additional goal from being scored. The match ended 6–0. Persiba stays on top.
The status of the Third Division champions gave Persiba a ticket to the central regional round. Persipal Palu and Persigo Gorontalo act as hosts. However, the status of the visitors did not make Persiba monthly. In fact, the hosts are brushed in turns. Each defeated Persiba 1–0. Persiba also won the Second Division trophy in 1984 and was entitled to advance to the First Division in Yogyakarta.
Persiba once again drove nonstop. The team nicknamed the Selicin Minyak passed round by round until they got a ticket to the top party at Diponegoro Stadium, Semarang, on Wednesday, 4 December 1985. The opponent who waited was PSIM Yogyakarta. In his time, this team was quite respected.
However, the legend of Persiba, Junaedi, managed to score the only goal in the match. The action in the 72nd minute determines the victory for the visitors. The 1–0 score lasted until the fight was over. Persiba ordained itself as the winner of the First Division. Johny Rinning was chosen as the best player. This individual title perfects the golden season of the legend of Persiba. From his position as a libero, Rinning won the four best player titles at once. Starting as the best Gorontalo Regent's Cup player in 1984, First Division 1985, Surabaya Mayor's Cup 1985, and East Kalimantan Governor award.
Persiba also began the journey to the First Division, the highest stage of domestic football. It was marked by the establishment of the Persiba Stadium during the era of general chairman Syarifuddin Yoes, who was also the Mayor of Balikpapan. This building took place on Parikesit Street, on land owned by PT Pertamina. Its construction was accelerated for a year, pursuing stadium requirements for participants in the Perserikatan Premier Division.
In the highest tier, Persiba is not without achievements. Multiple results show that this team from East Kalimantan can talk a lot. The Sun Bear Team recorded twice in the last six. Namely, in the 1987–88 and 1989–90 seasons.
Liga Indonesia era
editSince the 1994–95 season, Indonesian football competitions, namely the Perserikatan and Galatama, were merged into one and became the Liga Indonesia Premier Division. In this era, Persiba had to fight hard to stay in the top level of the Indonesian football league. In the first three seasons of the Premier Division, Persiba were always at the bottom of the board and always finished the season one or two positions above the relegation zone in the standings. And in the 1998–99 season, Persiba was finally relegated to the Liga Indonesia First Division after finishing the season ranked 6th (last) in the East Division.
Zainal Abidin acted as chairman of Persiba at the time. It takes four times a change of leaders until Persiba can return to promotion, in the Syahril era, HM Taher starting in 2003. And in the 2004 season, Persiba finally returned to promotion to the Premier Division after finishing in position 4 in the regional 2 First Division.
In the 2005 season, the first season after Persiba returned to the top level, Persiba immediately showed hope in the Premier Division. Played 26 times and collected 41 points, making Persiba ranked 5 in the East Division, two points adrift and is one level below Persebaya Surabaya, who qualified for the second round. And in the 2006 season, Persiba managed to penetrate the second round after being ranked 4th East Division under Persmin Minahasa, Persik Kediri, and PSM Makassar.
ISL era
editIn the era of the Indonesia Super League (ISL), Persiba's achievements in the Indonesian soccer arena can be said to have been practically up and down. In the first season of the ISL, Persiba, under the care of Daniel Roekito, managed to finish the season in 12th position, collecting 45 points. However, Persiba managed to surprise him by appearing impressive the following season.
In the 2009–10 season, with a number of star players such as I Made Wirawan, Mijo Dadic, Robertino Pugliara, Gendut Doni and Julio Lopez, the team successfully finished 3rd under Arema Indonesia, and Persipura Jayapura, and that position was better than Persib Bandung and Persija Jakarta. While two other East Kalimantan representatives, Bontang FC and Persisam Putra Samarinda, stated that they were outside the top 10. In this season too, Persiba managed to "slightly tarnish" the Arema title.[5][6]
Because Persiba was able to beat the Singo Edan team at that time in two meetings in that season, both at home and away. And also Persiba became the only team to pick 3 points at the Kanjuruhan Stadium (Arema's stadium) at the time. In this season, Persiba also managed to beat several big teams.
At the Inter Island Cup (the pre-season tournament for the strong team at the time), Persiba was the only team from Kalimantan that always participated in the tournament. In the 2010 Inter Island Cup, Persiba, the only representative of the island of Kalimantan, once again managed to surprise by defeating the defending champions, Piala Indonesia at the time, Sriwijaya, with a landslide score, and at the tournament, Persiba also managed to advance to the semi-finals. These achievements led to predictions that the power of Persiba is believed to be more intense in the future. However, after that season, the performance of Persiba has never been as good as that and has always been up and down.
2017: Financial problems and fall to Liga 2
editSince then, Persiba's performance has fluctuated. Until the 60th season of Indonesian football under the PSSI, or the inaugural edition of the Liga 1 era, the fall of Persiba was truly unavoidable. The oldest team in East Kalimantan has difficulty getting a sponsor. Funding is very dependent on club owners. The status of the travelling team also makes things difficult.
The location of the Persiba Stadium entered the development agenda of Pertamina as the landowner. The replacement venue for the representative Batakan Stadium is still under construction. Practically, Persiba must ride another cage. Gajayana Stadium was chosen in Malang, East Java.
Gajayana did not side with his new host. Persiba did not even win at home and returned to Parikesit after four matches, before settling at the Batakan Stadium. The performance of the Sun Bear is already bad. Only seven wins from 34 matches. Persiba finished second bottom. Stuck in the red zone with Semen Padang and Persegres Gresik United at the bottom of the standings.
Since then, conditions have not improved. In fact, it almost ended in tragedy. Wanderley Junior's head coach retreated in the middle of the season. The first year in Liga 2, Persiba was one of the candidates relegated. The Honey Bear is finally just one point away from the relegation zone of the Liga 2 East Region.
In November 2018, Syahril HM Taher was appointed chairman of Persiba. Removing hundreds of billions of club debt and leaving Rp 5 billion in shares to be redeemed by new investors. Persiba returns to the Balikpapan City Government. In only a few days, the new owner of Persiba was announced. None other than Balikpapan Deputy Mayor, Rahmad Mas'ud. Rahmad emphasized his target to bring Persiba back to its habitat in the highest caste.
But, not yet the season had begun, Rahmad decided to resign. Persiba returned to the Balikpapan City Government. It was mentioned due to the complicated process of moving to new management. Balikpapan Mayor Rizal Effendi had asked Masud to abandon his intention. The Liga 2 competition is only a matter of months. But the request was never fulfilled.
2019: New era with Gede Widiade
editThe new investor is Gede Widiade, the former managing director of Persija Jakarta. Certainty is known after the meeting between Rizal Effendi, Syahril HM Taher, and Gede Widiade on Monday, April 29, 2019.
Gede, no doubt, is a popular person in football. Many clubs have been managed by Gede, even long before bringing Persija to win the 2018 Indonesia President's Cup trophy and the Liga 1 season 2018.
Gede's maneuver took Persiba by surprise. After being released from Persija, his name was associated with the management of the legendary club Sriwijaya, which also went down to League 2. However, Gede had his own reasons if he finally chose the Honey Bear. This is inseparable from Syahril's role as a former chairman. "I am grateful, the Mayor and my parents, Mr. Syahril. I am not here as an investor. But, as his son, Mr. Syahril," Gede told the media after a meeting with the Mayor. The mission to save Persiba begins. League 2 is scheduled for kickoff on 15 June 2019. It takes less than two months to prepare the team. However, Gede is optimistic about completing the mission. Bringing Persiba back to the highest caste, without having to go through four changes to the chairman. "I was asked to help bring Persiba to the right place. God willing, I can carry out the mandate," he added.
2025: Return to Liga 2 from Liga Nusantara
editOn February 27, 2025, Persiba secured promotion to Liga 2 from next season after defeating PSGC Ciamis 3–4 on penalties due to a 2–2 draw, with a brace goal from Herman Dzumafo, and returned to the second tier after a one-year absence.
Club rivalries
editDerby Kaltim (until 2014)
editThe match of Persiba Balikpapan against one of the clubs from Samarinda, Persisam Putra Samarinda (now Bali United), is called "Derby Kaltim". This match was even said to be the hottest and most violent derby in Kalimantan Island.
Told, the beginning of the story of conflict and hostility between two teams from East Kalimantan. As if he didn't want to lose to the derby on the island of Java, the rivalry between the two teams turned out to have happened for decades.
Historical witness and chairman of the match committee (Panpel) Persiba at the Gojek Traveloka Liga 1 2017, Warsito stated that hostilities between the two teams have occurred since the 1970s.[7] He said that the rivalry between the two began precisely between players. "If we flashback this dispute since the era of the 1970s, we are like this. So that year, it was crowded here, but it was only between players when competing," said Warsito. "At that time, it did not extend to the audience, still between players. Because there was no audience yet. Then just spread to supporters, because of fanaticism," he explained again. According to him, as time went on, the fighting and hostility intensified, not only in the stadium but also outside it. At that time, there was no good faith to make a peaceful pledge.
This derby had been suspended after 2015. Putra Samarinda was renamed Bali United and moved its home base from Samarinda to Gianyar.
Derby Kaltim (continued)
editThis is a continuation of the previous Derby Kaltim, which brought together Persiba Balikpapan and Persisam Putra Samarinda. In this derby, there was a match between Persiba Balikpapan and a club from Samarinda, namely Pusamania Borneo (now Borneo FC).
In 2015, Putra Samarinda changed its name to Bali United and moved its home base. In the same year, Borneo FC was promoted to the Indonesia Super League after winning the Liga Indonesia Premier Division a year earlier.
Rivalry with Mitra Kukar
editMitra Kukar is also one of the rivals of Persiba Balikpapan.
Stadium
editPersiba Stadium (1986–2017)
edit
This stadium is also commonly referred to as Parikesit Stadium. The stadium began construction in 1985 and was completed at a later date. The stadium was built as a requirement for a team that played in the highest competition of Indonesian football (at that time, the Peserikatan) to have a stadium with a capacity. It is currently used primarily for football matches and is used as the home stadium for Persiba Balikpapan. The stadium has a capacity of 12,500 people after the 2008 renovation.
At the start of the season until the middle of the 2017 Liga 1, Persiba is forced to use the Gajayana Stadium in Malang as their home ground because their actual ground, Pertamina's owned by state-owned oil company, was going to be demolished to make way for their oil expansion refinery as their newly built replacement, Batakan Stadium, was still under construction and won't be ready until June. However, Pertamina allows Persiba to return to using Persiba Stadium for one month, from June 1 to 30.[8] After the round of negotiations, Persiba extended this permit and continued to use Parikesit until Batakan was ready and passed verification.[9]
On August 22, 2017, Persiba made his last match at this stadium against PS TNI; at that time, Persiba won dramatically with a score of 1–0 through Anmar Almubaraki's header in the last minute of the match.
Now, the stadium, which has been accompanying Persiba for decades in national football, has been officially taken over by PT Pertamina as the owner of the asset.
Batakan Stadium (2017–present)
edit
The stadium was just completed in August 2017[2] and has a capacity of 40,000. The stadium is predicted to be similar to the Emirates Stadium, home to the English club, Arsenal.
The stadium was first used by Persiba on September 9, 2017, in the 2017 Liga 1. At that time, Persiba competed against Persegres Gresik United, and in the match, Persiba managed to win 3–0.
Players
editCurrent squad
edit- As of 7 February 2026[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
editCurrent technical staff
editAs 12 December 2024
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Indra Wijaya |
| Assistant manager | Sayid Ryanezard Yahya |
| Head coach | Mohammad Nasuha |
| Assistant coach | Aidin Elmi |
| Assistant coach | Yus Arfandy Djafar |
| Goalkeeper coach | Deny Marcel |
| Fitness coach | Randy Adam |
| Physiotherapist | Fandi Ramadhan |
| Masseur | John Rikumahu |
| Sport Terapy | Fauzan Benna Faqih |
| Kitman | Imam Kurnianto |
Former coaches
edit
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Sponsorship
editKit suppliers and shirt sponsors
editOnly for 2023, the official Persiba Balikpapan kit has been manufactured by Equalnesia.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (chest) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) | Shirt sponsor (back) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s–1994 | Adidas | None | None | None |
| 1994–1996 | Dunhill | |||
| 1996–1997 | Kansas | |||
| 1997–2008 | None | |||
| 2008–2009 | Bankaltim | |||
| 2009–2011 | Reebok | |||
| 2011–2013 | Specs | Bankaltim & Artha Reka Satria | ||
| 2014 | Injers | Bankaltim & Philips | PT. Anugerah Jaya Beton | |
| 2015 | Eureka | |||
| 2016 | None | |||
| 2017 | MBB | Anugerah Group & Go-Jek | Cahaya Indonesia Wisata | None |
| 2018 | RIORS | Anugerah Group | ||
| 2019 | MBB | PT. Cindara Pratama Lines, HBICS, PT. BRM Pile, Go-pay |
Permata Abadi Group | Bankaltimtara |
| 2020 | GW Apparel | Indika Energy | None | Pancoran Soccer Field |
| 2021 | Indika Energy & Podiy Beauty Studio |
NG Corporation | None | |
| 2022 | PSF Group | Herald Indonesia | ||
| 2023 | Equalnesia | Royal Suite Hotel | ||
| 2023–2024 | Robot & Co | |||
| 2024– | Cindara Pratama Group, MIP Poultry, Angel's Wing Indonesia, PTMB |
None | Bizhub 52X, Raja Lalapan |
Notable players
edit
Statistics
editRecent history
editNote: Only displaying from 2008–2009 season since Indonesia Super League (now Liga 1) established
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| Season | Division | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Cup | AFC competition(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | SL | 12th | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 40 | 42 | 46 | Round of 16 | – | – |
| 2009–10 | 3rd | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 44 | 31 | 54 | First round | – | – | |
| 2010–11 | 10th | 28 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 41 | 44 | 34 | – | – | – | |
| 2011–12 | 7th | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 60 | 55 | 51 | – | – | – | |
| 2013 | 13th | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 42 | 48 | 40 | – | – | – | |
| 2014 | 5th [a] | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 21 | 28 | 25 | – | – | – | |
| 2015 | season not finished | – | – | |||||||||
| 2016 | ISC-A | 13th | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 38 | 52 | 35 | – | – | – |
| 2017 | L1 | 17th | 34 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 41 | 62 | 27 | – | – | – |
| 2018 | L2 | 8th [b] | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 36 | 34 | 27 | Second round | – | – |
| 2019 | 8th [c] | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 23 | 20 | 27 | – | – | – | |
| 2020 | season declared void | – | – | |||||||||
| 2021–22 | 4th [d] | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 15 | – | – | – | |
| 2022–23 | season declared void | – | – | |||||||||
| 2023–24 | 4th [e] | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 18 | 28 | 14 | – | – | – | |
| 2024–25 | LN | 3rd [f] | 17 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 17 | 33 | – | – | – |
| 2025–26 | CH | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | |
- Notes
Season to season
editNote: Since Indonesia Super League (now Liga 1) launch in 2008–09 season, Liga Indonesia Premier Division (now Liga 2) dropped down to second tier and Liga Indonesia First Division (then replaced by Liga Nusatara) dropped down to third tier.
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Current league
- 8 seasons in Liga 1
- 7 seasons in Liga 2
- 1 season in Liga Nusantara
Defunct league
- 8 seasons in Premier Division (as first tier)
- 5 seasons in First Division (as second tier)
- 1 season in ISC-A
Honours
editDomestic competitions
edit- Indonesia Super League
- Third place (1): 2009–10
- Division I
- Winners (1): 1985
- Division II
- Winners (1): 1984
- Division III
- Winners (1): 1983
- Liga Nusantara
- Promotion play-off winner: 2024–25
Others
edit- Piala Walikota Padang
- Runners-up (1): 2015
- Trofeo Battle of Borneo
- Winners (1): 2018
Asian clubs ranking
edit- As of 5 May 2019[11]
| Current Rank | Country | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 198 |  | Royal Wahingdoh |
| 199 |  | Al Dhafra |
| 200 | | Persiba Balikpapan |
| 201 |  | Oita Trinita |
| 202 |  | Al-Nahda |
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "::pfc-persiba online::.. – Seputar Persiba". Archived from the original on 2008-02-15.
- 1 2 "Berita Bola Indonesia Terlengkap". BolaIndo.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
- 1 2 "Sejarah Berdirinya Persiba Balikpapan". SejarahPedia. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ↑ "Sejarah panjang Persiba Balikpapan dari PS Belalang hingga era Gede Widiade". Kaltim Kece. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ↑ "Cuma Persiba dan Fery Ariawan yang Nodai Gelar Juara ISL 2009–2010". wearemania.net. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ↑ "Meski Juara 2009/2010, Persiba Nodai Kanjuruhan". Vamos Arema. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ↑ "Awal Mula Permusuhan Suporter Persiba dan Borneo FC". INDOSPORT.com. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ↑ R. N., Abelda. "Pertamina Izinkan Persiba Gunakan Parikesit Selama Sebulan". Liputan6.com. Balikpapan. Archived from the original on 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
- ↑ Rumengan, Teddy. Sadhewo, Cosmas Bayu Agung (ed.). "Emirates Stadium Belum Rampung, Persiba Kembali ke Parikesit". INDOSPORT.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
- ↑ "Daftar pemain tim Persiba Balikpapan". ileague.id (in Indonesian).
- ↑ "Asia Football / Soccer Clubs Ranking". Retrieved 3 March 2019.
