Jakarta, IO – Ansan Greeners, a football club in K League 2 (South Korean second professional division), has officially released a special edition shirt and scarf for the debut goal of Indonesian player Asnawi Mangkualam Bahar during their home match against Busan IPark on September 4.
According to Goal Indonesia, Asnawi scored his first goal when Ansan defeated Gimpo Citizen 3-1 at Ansan Wa Stadium on July 23. The goal was created by Asnawi after his 1.5 season career in K League 2.
According tp the official Instagram account @ansan_greeners_fc, Ansan’s management only produced 150 shirts and scarves, and they are only sold during the September 4 game.
The special edition shirts and scarves was produced given the very high interest of Indonesian fans towards Asnawi which saw increase of Ansan jersey sales. The same goes for home game tickets.
This cannot be separated from the population of Indonesian diaspora in South Korea. Based on national statistics, there are at least 30,062 Indonesians living in South Korea. When Indonesia Fan Day was held, 3,019 tickets were sold.
Asnawi started his junior career from 2008 to 2016 with SSB Hasanuddin FC, PSM Makassar and Perseka Bosowa. In 2016, his played for Persiba Balikpapan club, PSM Makassar until he was bought by Ansan Greeners in January 2021.
Asnawi is the first Indonesian footballer to play in a South Korea league. This transfer especially excited the Indonesian community in Ansan and supporters of Ansan Greeners. Followers of Ansan Greeners’ social media account increased dramatically in just a few days. (rr)