Selling medals for medical expenses: Indonesia's retired footballers struggle to make ends meet

JAKARTA: “For sale. All my football properties.” 

Those words were listed on the Instagram biography of Indonesia’s former national footballer Kurnia Meiga which sparked attention across the archipelago in recent weeks.   

The 33-year-old former goalkeeper has vision problems and needs money for treatment. 

He wants to sell all his football memorabilia, such as his medals and jerseys, to foot the cost of his medical bills. In one of his Instagram posts, Mr Meiga posted a video showing medals he had won that were for sale. 

His plight caught the attention of Mr Erick Thohir, the head of the Indonesian football association (PSSI), who quickly took action. 

Mr Thohir, who was appointed to the post three months ago, arranged for doctors to check on Mr Meiga’s condition. 

In an Instagram post on May 21, Mr Thohir said that a medical team had visited the former national footballer to check on him. 

“Please, everyone in the society and football lovers, pray for the recovery of Indonesia’s national team goalkeeper legend,” Mr Thohir, who is also Indonesia’s minister for state-owned enterprises, wrote in his post. 

While cases of retired footballers in Indonesia struggling to make ends meet is not new, Mr Meiga’s plight became the talk of the town. 

His struggles surfaced just as Indonesia is trying to overhaul its football ecosystem following a tragic stampede in Malang last October that claimed the lives of 135 people. 

Amid talks about the revamp of the PSSI, stadiums and safety regulations, the fate of players in the football-obsessed country after they retire has not been raised.

Observers say that a revamp of Indonesia’s football ecosystem should not only revolve around infrastructure issues and safety regulations, but also consideration about players’ welfare upon retirement. 

OLD PROBLEM

Before retiring from professional football six years ago at the age of 27 due to his medical conditions, Mr Meiga was a rising star. 

He spent his entire adult career with the country’s popular Malang-based club Arema FC. 

For all the recent attention on Mr Meiga, he is not the only former footballer who has made headlines for their pitiful situation after retirement.

“There are retired footballers who really suffer after they stopped playing,” said the head of PSSI’s disciplinary committee Erwin Tobing.

Former footballer Anang Ma’ruf, for example, became the talk of the town in 2015 when he fell into poverty.

The former footballer - who played for several clubs including Arema FC’s arch rival Persebaya Surabaya - retired in 2013 when he was still fit and in his thirties. 

Mr Ma’ruf decided to invest in a business in Bali but failed and lost all his money. 

He became an online-taxi bike driver in 2015 until the mayor of Surabaya recruited him as a local sports agency staff.

Separately, former national goalkeeper for the under-18 team Dedek Hendri, who started off with a local football club in Riau province, also faced hardship after retiring. He ended up being a drug addict and a robber. 

And ex-national football player Alexander Pulalo, who was active between 1993 and 2011, became a driver after quitting the sport. 

Mr Tobing of PSSI told CNA that the players’ lives after they retire from professional football are not the responsibility of the government. 

“Honestly speaking, we cannot take care of every former player. They are not the responsibility of the government, but in some cases, we can help,” he said.

Hence, Mr Tobing urged footballers to be wiser and plan for their future when they are still actively playing football. 

The football clubs, he added, can also help by reminding the players to prepare for their retirement plans and providing them with insurance.

“Clubs need to be more professional. Everything depends on the clubs and the players themselves,” Mr Tobing said.

INJURIES CAN LEAD TO EARLY RETIREMENT

Mr Meiga retired at the age of 27 due to problems with his eyesight. 

He told local media that he had to sell his football memorabilia as he has not worked in the last six years and needs to put food on the table for his wife and children.  

Although footballers can play professional football into their mid-thirties and beyond, injuries forcing them to retire are common.  

In Indonesia, former national footballer Firmansyah retired when he was 28 years old due to injuries to his right leg, while Mauly Lessy retired at 33 due to injuries to the knees and soles. 

Unlike civil servants in Indonesia, nobody is responsible for the future of footballers, said football analyst Justinus Lhaksana.

However, the former national futsal head coach and commentator for several sports shows noted that nowadays, footballers in Indonesia can earn a lot if they play for a club in the top league. 

“They now earn more than one billion rupiah (US$66,745) per season,” he said. 

“Even players like Kurnia Meiga, who was in a top club and played 10 years ago, already earned good money.” 

The Jakarta-based pundit, who is also known as Coach Justin, revealed that footballers like Mr Meiga back then could earn about 600 million to 800 million rupiah per season, excluding bonuses.

“But the problem is, I’m not sure Indonesian clubs have guided them to invest in a better future. 

“Even if there are some clubs, not many are doing it,” he said.

Besides, Coach Justin believes there is no financial awareness within their own families. 

“If they are young and come from a family which is not rich, they will act like nouveau riche,” he said. 

“They tend to have a consumptive lifestyle without thinking that if they break their leg, their career is over.”

SOME CLUBS NOT PROFESSIONALLY RUN

Coach Justin also highlighted that football clubs in Indonesia are not as professional as those abroad. 

“So there is no scheme for the players in the event of something bad (happening), like an insurance,” he said. 

“This is somehow also the club’s fault. But on the other hand, many clubs also have limited money. The problem is every region wants to have its own club. But they cannot manage it.”

Mr Ali Rifki, Arema FC’s manager from 2021 to 2022, said he and the management of the football club had extended a helping hand to Mr Meiga.

“I personally have always told the players to manage their finances wisely. 

“It would be even better if they have a side business so that they would still have an income after retiring,” he told CNA. 

Yet, not every player ends up in limbo after retiring from professional football. 

Former national football player Djadjang Nurdjaman became a coach after hanging up his boots following a 15-year career.

His career as a coach is even longer, having served for several top-tier Indonesian football clubs such as Persib Bandung and Persebaya Surabaya. 

“After retiring as a player, I really hoped I could become a coach because I still wanted to be in the football industry,” said the 64-year-old. 

For the past few months, he has not been coaching, but Mr Nurdjaman said he has just signed a new contract with a club based in Lamongan, East Java and will continue coaching soon. 

“I want to remind players to save money wisely because their salaries differ. 

“Some get a good salary, some not. That is why they must have savings,” he told CNA. 

OVERHAUL OF FOOTBALL ECOSYSTEM MUST INCLUDE PLAYERS’ WELFARE 

Even though the lives of football players after retirement is not the responsibility of the sports ministry nor the PSSI, analysts told CNA that the football association could develop a scheme that would guarantee the players a good future.

This is especially since the government wants to overhaul the football ecosystem in the country. 

Mr Tommy Apriantono, a sports lecturer from Bandung Institute of Technology, said all athletes should be encouraged to obtain a university degree. 

“So that after they retire, they are still well-off,” said Mr Apriantono. 

He said having a degree would increase their chances of getting a job after retiring from sports, giving them income to live comfortably.

He added that this is encouraged in several countries like the US and Japan.  

“Michael Jordan, for example, went to university. And in Japan, many footballers have graduated from university.

“But here, they don’t think of retirement. This should be part of the industry’s management," said Mr Apriantono.

He opined the easiest way to do it is to devise a system where players must put a certain amount of their salary aside for a retirement fund when they are still active. 

Meanwhile, Coach Justin - the football analyst - said that the PSSI should remind the clubs that they are responsible for their players’ welfare and provide them with insurance. 

“But whether the clubs would follow or not, I’m not sure,” he said.  

“This all needs time. PSSI is not a magician. They will slowly improve the system so that football becomes a hot industry in which companies invest.”

Things may soon be looking up for these retired footballers. 

During a PSSI congress on May 28, Mr Thohir said the association would create a foundation that can accommodate retired Indonesian footballers. 

The details were not revealed, but he said: “We will form a foundation which will help individual football heroes like Kurnia Meiga or others."

“We hope this will be our breakthrough as we care about the heroes who have sacrificed (their lives) for our football,” he said.

In an update on Mr Meiga's case, Mr Thohir wrote in an Instagram video post on May 31 that he would help find vision aids for the former national football player.

The video shows Mr Meiga being checked by a medical team who explained the man's condition. 

It also shows Mr Thohir together with Mr Meiga and his family. 

Mr Thohir said: “God willing, we can help (Mr Meiga) become an entrepreneur. We want to find a franchise (for him to work on).”