Intentionally or not, they are now "celebrities"

In the age of social media, the opportunity to become a "celebrity" is open to everyone.

AFC

Midfielder from Indonesia, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, took control of the ball during the Group A match of the 2024 Asian U-23 Cup, on Sunday (21/4/2024), at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar. Nathan is one of the players from the Indonesian U23 team that caught the attention of fans.

The members of the Indonesian U-23 team have received extraordinary attention from fans. They are cheered on, asked for autographs and photos together. On social media, their personal lives are being discussed, including who their wives and girlfriends are. The excitement has made the process of celebrity-izing the members of the Indonesian team inevitable.

Since the Indonesia U23 Team competed in the 2024 AFC U23 Championship in Doha, Qatar, Lala Arham (44), an Indonesian diaspora in Qatar, has been frequently visiting the Westin Hotel which is the accommodation of the Indonesia team. Coincidentally, the hotel is only "a short distance" of 20-30 minutes from Lala's home.

Lala and her two teenage children hope to meet with members of the Indonesian team who come out of their rooms to relax or attend practice sessions.

They visited multiple times, until one day they successfully intercepted several members of the Indonesian Team who were about to leave for training. Like other fans, Lala and her children scrambled to ask for autographs, take videos, and request photos together.

On that day, Lala and her two children successfully took photos and videos of Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Rafael Struick, Justin Hubner, and Marselino Ferdinand. They quickly uploaded them to their social media accounts. What happened next?

"Oh, my goodness! There are now more than 1,300 people who have liked. Even though when I first posted a few days ago, there were only 80-100 likes... Could it be because There's Nathan, who is a trending topic everywhere?” that's what Lala wrote in a short message on Kompas with a smiling emoticon, Friday (3/5/2024).

Since Lala has been using social media, this is the first time she has been flooded with likes. Usually, at best, his uploads get dozens of likes from his circle of friends on social media.

AFC

The action of Indonesian supporters giving support in the match against South Korea in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Asia Cup U-23 at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar, on Friday (26/4/2024) in the early morning Indonesian time. Indonesia defeated South Korea through a penalty shoot-out. This victory brought Indonesia to the semifinals.

Apart from Lala, many supporters of Indonesia often visit Hotel Westin to show their support, just to say hello, ask for autographs, or if lucky, take selfies with Team Indonesia. Every day, there may be dozens of people who come.

Lala told that there were many of her fellow Indonesian mother acquaintances who booked a spot in a hotel restaurant during breakfast. They hoped to meet with the Indonesian national team players who were also having breakfast.

Even though they are given a separate area to eat, Indonesian team players sometimes take food from the shared dining area with other restaurant guests. When this happens, Indonesian team supporters immediately approach.

Also read: Become a traveler for the Indonesia vs Uzbekistan match

“The most excited are these mothers. Even though they don't really like or understand football on a daily basis. Maybe it's also because of FOMO (fear of missing out) aka fear of missing out on trends. "Not only did they ask for photos with the players, but these mothers also asked coach Shin Tae-yong and PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir for selfies," added Lala with a chuckle.

Due to the large number of Indonesian supporters who flowed into the Westin Hotel, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Qatar issued a letter of recommendation to the supporters to not disturb the privacy of the national team players. This was conveyed by the functionary responsible for Information and Socio-Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Doha, Ali Murtado, on Tuesday (April 30th), as quoted by Antara news agency.

Aprilianita, an Indonesian national team supporter, has a similar story. Aprilianita, along with her husband Hartoyo and their two children, were willing to travel back and forth from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Doha, Qatar by private car via Saudi Arabia, just to watch the Indonesian national team play in the U23 Asia Cup.

ARSIP HARTOYO

Aprilianita (right-most) with her husband Hartoyo (left) and their two children, supporters of the Indonesia U23 Team who came from the United Arab Emirates to Doha, Qatar. They stayed at the Westin Hotel, where the Indonesia U23 Team was staying, so that their children could meet Marselino Ferdinan.

In order to watch the semifinal match against Uzbekistan on Monday (29/4), they arrived in Doha on Saturday (27/4). They decided to stay at the Westin Hotel, where the Indonesian team is staying, even though they had to pay IDR 3.5 million per night.

"We did that because my older child really wants to see Marselino up close. They are a big fan of Marselino," said Aprilianita on Sunday (April 28th).

Apart from Aprilianita and her family, there are at least four Indonesian supporter families who also stayed there. She said that the hotel is always visited by Indonesian supporters from morning until evening.

Also read: Politics is over, it's time to celebrate the U-23 Indonesian Team

"This morning (Sunday) there were about 20 Indonesian diaspora mothers who booked breakfast at the hotel. They may not necessarily know about football, but because the euphoria around the Indonesian team is high, they also joined in to watch. Not many people thought that Indonesia could achieve such a high performance," said Aprilianita, followed by laughter.

He added that most Indonesian supporters, whether male or female, young or old, want to show their support while hoping to see members of the Indonesian team in person. If possible, they would even be grateful to take a video or photo together.

Celebrity

During the U-23 Asian Cup event, photos and short videos taken by supporters in Qatar filled social media space. They upload videos or photos when Indonesian Team members have breakfast, the team takes the bus to the training ground or match, and so on. Don't forget, they also uploaded the extraordinary behavior of Indonesian supporters.

KOMPAS

Indonesia U-23 Team coach Shin Tae-yong, along with Marselino Ferdinan, not only received greetings and requests for selfies from the team's fans, but also from the players themselves.

The posts made directly from Qatar by the supporters compete with content creators and YouTubers who discuss everything related to the Indonesian team, from strategies to match reviews. Not to be missed are those who discuss the personal lives of the Indonesian team, from blood types to their favorite foods, shoe or bag brands, their parents' and in-laws' backgrounds, their religions, as well as their girlfriends and wives.

Intentionally or not, the process of celebrity-fication towards members of the Indonesian team is underway. Just like celebrities who emerge from the entertainment industry, the appearance, behavior, and personal life of Indonesian team members have now become public consumption.

Communication Science lecturer at Diponegoro University's Faculty of Social and Political Science, Triyono Lukmantoro, stated that the phenomenon of celebrities among Indonesia U-23 team members is still related to the achievements they have shown. "Their achievements are extraordinary; competing on the Asian stage, surpassing the Southeast Asian region. It's no wonder people are celebrating their achievements. There is hope being celebrated through these young players," said Triyono.

Also read: Shin Tae-yong's siege mentality

Fans not only admire their skills on the field, but also the added value of the physical attractiveness of some of the players in the Indonesian U23 team. It's no wonder that strong support is immediately given and even leads to fanaticism. This is what Triyono said.

He added that in the past, celebrity culture, or characterization, was mainly done by television, radio, and print media. However, in the era of social media, anyone with their device can amplify and expand events.

In the era of social media, fans are not passive creatures who simply admire their idols, but are also actively producing meaning through their social media content. Not only do they capture their idols through their content, but also themselves and their experiences when giving support or watching their idols.

(KREDIT FOTO: IGAQA.)

Qatar U-23 National Team supporters wearing Korpri batik patterned shirts.

Just take a look at how the Indonesian supporter community in Qatar is diligent in sharing photos or videos when they parade on the streets towards the stadium, their behavior inside the stadium, and even when they celebrate victories outside the stadium. Their posts become the "eyes" for millions of other supporters who cannot attend in person in Qatar.

Some groups of spectators also create distinctive markers that differentiate them from other supporters. This way, they can grab the attention of cameramen and often end up on television.

One of the Indonesian national team supporters who successfully did this is Ekky Nugroho (35). A member of the Indonesian diaspora who has been living and working in Qatar for seven years, he always watches the game wearing a batik Korpri-patterned shirt.

The uniform is actually the official uniform of the Indonesian Golf Association in Qatar (IGAQA). This oil and gas industry worker said that the batik motif on the old Korpri uniform had a special place in his memory and the memories of his IGAQA colleagues.

"Because we happen to like playing against Malaysian golfers, so we thought about what uniform would be different. That's why we decided on the (old) Korpri (uniform). Come back again because we have memories of the colors and motifs (batik) of Korpri. "That uniform is what we have worn when supporting the National Team's matches, even since AFC 2024 last January," said Ekky.

According to Ekky, there are around 20 supporters wearing batik Korpri uniforms. If lined up, they would be able to fill one row of seats at the stadium's tribune. They regularly come to watch every match of the PSSI National Team playing in Qatar.

AFC

The actions of Indonesian supporters giving their support during the match against South Korea in the quarterfinals of the 2024 U-23 Asia Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar on Friday (26/4/2024) dawn, were remarkable. Indonesia defeated South Korea through a penalty shootout. This victory brings Indonesia to the semifinals. AFC 25-04-2024

Thanks to their choice of Korpri-patterned shirts, Ekky and his friends caught the attention of the camera crew. Their behavior, albeit brief, could be witnessed by millions of other fans in Indonesia who were watching the U-23 Asian Cup matches on television.

In the era of social media, the opportunity to become a "celebrity" is open to everyone. Even for those who don't actually want to become a celebrity.