Persib Bandung

History

Founding years (1919–1940)

The roots of Persib can be traced back to Bandoeng Inlandsche Voetbal Bond (BIVB) (Dutch for 'Bandung Domestic Football Federation'), formed on 5 January 1919 in accordance to the findings of a thorough research conducted by historians which were announced in 2023. BIVB was a fusion of local clubs in Bandung such as KBS, BB (Bintang Bandoeng), STER (Steeds trappen en rennen), Diana (Doe is alles niet achteruit), Zwaluw, BIVC, BVC, KVC, VVC, Visser, NVC, Brom and Pasar Ketjil to form BIVB. It was then succeeded by Persatuan Sepak Bola Indonesia Bandung (PSIB) ('Bandung Indonesian Football Association') and teams affiliated to the National Voetball Bond (NVB). These outfits merged on 14 March 1933 to form Persib.

Persib won the 1937 Dutch Indies football tournament and reached the finals in the 1933, 1934 and 1936 editions before Indonesia's 1945 independence.

Perserikatan era (1940–1994)

After Indonesia's independence, Persib was reformed in Bandung in 1948, during the Indonesian National Revolution. In the 1950s, Persib players Aang Witarsa and Anas appeared for the Indonesia national football team.

In the Perserikatan era, when Indonesian football clubs were amateur outfits funded by local governments, Persib won their second national title in 1961 and competed in that year's Aga Khan Gold Cup. The club's next significant achievement was as runner-up in the 1966 season. Persib's success declined in the 1970s culminating with their relegation to the First Division in the 1978–79 season. In response, the club hired Polish coach Marek Janota to lead the youth squad and Risnandar Soendoro to manage the senior team. Under their guidance, Persib earned a promotion to the Premier Division, with players including Robby Darwis, Adéng Hudaya, Adjat Sudrajat and Suryamin. The team finished as runners-up in the 1982–83 and 1984–85 seasons.

The club won the league in 1986 by beating Perseman Manokwari by a goal from Djadjang Nurdjaman at the Senayan Stadium. They became champions again in 1990, beating Persebaya Surabaya 2–0. Among the players of this golden era were Samai Setiadi, Adé Mulyono, Asép Sumantri and Djadjang Nurdjaman who would become the only person to win a national title for Persib as a player and coach.

Persib became champions in the final season of the Perserikatan era before it was merged with the fledgling, semi-professional Galatama league to become the Liga Indonesia Premier Division and so earned the right to keep the President Cup in perpetuity.

Early professional league era and resurgence (1994–2014)

Persib entered the professional era of Indonesian football by becoming the champions of the inaugural 1994–95 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, defeating Petrokimia Putra 1–0 in the final.

The following years were marked by mixed results. The club struggled to match its early success and went through multiple coaching changes. In 2003, Persib finished in the bottom two of the Premier Division and only avoided relegation due to a restructuring of the league system, followed by frequent managerial changes and inconsistent results. By the late 2000s, performances improved, with Persib finishing 3rd in the 2008–09 Indonesia Super League under Jaya Hartono.

In 2009, the club’s management structure changed significantly with the establishment of PT Persib Bandung Bermartabat, separating the team from municipal government funding in response to national regulations on state budgets for football clubs.

Between 2012-2014, constant changes were made to the team. In 2012, Persib hired former player Djadjang Nurdjaman as head coach, and under his leadership the club steadily regained competitiveness. In 2013, Persib also changed its home base from Siliwangi Stadium to Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, due to stadium standard requirements. In 2014, Persib obtained a professional club license from the government of Indonesia. The changes came to fruition, culminated in Persib winning the 2014 Indonesia Super League, their first national title in nearly two decades, by defeating Persipura Jayapura in the final. Striker Ferdinand Sinaga was named the Best Player of the season.

As 2014 champions, Persib qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League play-offs under interim coach Emral Abus, who replaced Djadjang Nurdjaman on the bench due to licensing requirements. After being eliminated by Hà Nội T&T, the club entered the 2015 AFC Cup, reaching the Round of 16, before losing to Kitchee SC. With the 2015 Indonesia Super League cancelled due to conflict between the government and the PSSI, Persib instead competed in the inaugural President’s Cup, which they won.

Consistency and recent success (2016–present)

In 2016, Persib competed in the Indonesia Soccer Championship A, finishing fifth. The following year saw a significant dip, with the club ending the 2017 Liga 1 season in 13th place despite high-profile signings including Michael Essien and Carlton Cole.

From 2018 onwards, Persib consistently finished in the top six of Liga 1. Under coaches such as Mario Gómez and Robert Alberts, the team placed 4th in 2018 and 6th in 2019, which marked the final season for club veteran Hariono after 11 years of service. They followed this with runners-up in the 2021–22 season, and a 3rd-place finish in 2022–23 under Spanish coach Luis Milla and later Bojan Hodak.

This momentum continued to 2023-2024 season, where Persib secured the 2023–24 Liga 1 championship round and won the title by defeating Madura United in the finals with a 6–1 aggregate score. Striker David da Silva finishing as top scorer and head coach Bojan Hodak as Best Coach. The following season, Persib defended their title by winning the 2024–25 Liga 1, their first back-to-back league triumph since the 1994 and 1995 seasons.

Persib also returned to continental football by competing in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two, though they exited in the group stage. In the ongoing 2025–26 season, the club is defending its league title and again competing in the AFC Champions League Two. Persib topped the group stage of the latter with 13 points, advancing to the Round of 16.

Persib Bandung squad during their championship season

Crest and colors

The club colors are officially blue and white. The club's badge is similar with the seal of Bandung. The logo was used because during the early years of Perserikatan, Persib was seen as the representative of the Sundanese people. The overall template of the logo is taken from the logo of the city of Bandung, including the wavy water pattern and the black fortress pattern. The only difference is the addition of the writing "PERSIB" and "1933", with the latter recently being omitted after the decision to change the club's establishment year to 1919. The logo is a heart-shaped shield, and is divided into two parts, outlined with black horizontal girders in four part of the shield.

On top of a golden yellow background with a green color painting of a mountain that rests on the girder. At the bottom, with a white background by painting four areas wavy lines in blue. At the bottom of the shield there is a golden yellow color band waved at both ends. On the ribbon was written in black Latin letters that read 'Gemah Ripah Wibawa Mukti', meaning 'Land of the People Subur Makmur'. The sentence was taken from the Kawi language.

The logo's shield symbolizes the struggle to achieve goals that should be protected. In addition, the shield has the meaning that Persib needs to be able to endure all sorts of dangers and difficulties.

The colors in the logo represents, yellow: Wealth and nobleness, black: Sturdy, upright and strong, green: Prosperity and cool, white: Purity and faithfulness, and blue: Meaningful. Currently, on top of the logo stands four stars, which represents the four Indonesian league titles that Persib has achieved, each in 1995, 2014, 2024, and 2025.

The club colors are officially blue and white according to its statute and is used by the fans, the combination Bulao-bodas (blue and white), in their songs and chants. These were the colors of Siliwangi Kingdom. The club original badge was implemented in 1996 consisting of the team's name, Persib, above the logo of Bandung government.

In accordance to PSSI statute, the logo of the club is now protected as an effort to preserve its heritage and appreciation for the club as one of the founding members of PSSI in 1930. It is also not allowed to be altered and replaced in any forms. Additionally, this rule includes prohibition of changing the name, home base and history of the club.

Kit manufacturers

The club is presently outfitted by Kelme. Their previous kit manufacturers were Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Vilour, Diadora, Joma, Mitre, League, and Sportama.

The following is a list of kit manufacturers by year:

Sponsorship

Persib is sponsored by:

• Indofood
• Kopi ABC
• Rinso
• Sunlight (cleaning product)
• Kelme
• Vivo
• Greenfields
• Bale by BTN
• Combiphar
• Insto
• Le Minerale
• Teh Pucuk Harum
• Panther Energy
• Socios.com

Stadium

Persib plays their home matches at Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium, after moving from Si Jalak Harupat Stadium. Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium's design adheres to the international standards for stadium design. It has 38,000 individual seats. The grass used is Zoysia matrella (Linn) Merr which is of FIFA standard class. The stadium is equipped with football pitch, athletic track, helipad, four storey with an area of 72,000 square meters, combined with other supporting facilities with total of 40 hectares.

In 2022, Persib secured a deal with Bandung government to lease the stadium for 30 years.

Training ground

For the primary training ground and flat for players, Persib uses Persib Stadium at Jalan Ahmad Yani, which was formerly known as Sidolig Stadium. The training ground uses synthetic turf. In addition to Siliwangi Stadium, Persib management also explored the possibility of using Arcamanik Stadium or Pusdikpom Field in Cimahi.

Supporters

Persib supporters have a fan base that has traditionally grown since the club's founding. Their fan base is widespread throughout the country, particularly in western Java and the Indonesian diaspora, representing the Sundanese people. Persib supporters often refer to themselves as Bobotoh, a Sundanese term meaning "people who raise the spirits of people about to fight (or animals about to fight). This nickname started when they gave support on the sidelines of Tegalega Field, where the club started playing.

The first organized supporter group was the Viking Persib Club (VPC) in 1993, which was the first supporter group in Indonesia and also started the development of hooliganism in Indonesia in 2000. Other organized groups include the Northern Wall, 26cc Boys, and Southside Terrace.

Halo, Halo Bandung is a national song by Ismail Marzuki which describes the spirit of struggle of the people of Bandung city during the Bandung Sea of Fire incident in 1946. In the first seconds of the match, the fans will sing this song as a symbol of struggle and resistance against opposing players.

Notable fans include Oto Iskandar di Nata (Indonesian politician), Try Sutrisno (6th Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia), Kamidia Radisti (Miss Indonesia 2007), Arina Ephipania (lead vocalist of Mocca), Melody Nurramdhani Laksani (former JKT48 member), Bastian Steel (former Coboy Junior member), Ariel (lead vocalist from Noah), Conchita Caroline (Sportcaster), Ananda Omesh (Indonesian presenter), and Yolla Yuliana (volleyball player).

Rivalries

Main article: Indonesian El Clásico

The rivalry with Persija Jakarta is known as the Indonesian El Clásico or Indonesian Derbies, which is one of the biggest rivalries in football in Indonesia. This rivalry started from a national amateur competition that was not too intense, but it increased after the Indonesian professional football league system was implemented in 1994-95. Before the match, players will be secured using Pindad Komodo to enter the stadium. Supporters of them may not be present at away matches, because of restrictions from the Indonesia national security otorition to avoid clashes. Including competition with PSMS Medan, PSM Makassar and Persebaya Surabaya, but player security is as usual and away supporters are allowed.

Finances and ownership

Persib was the richest club on Southeast Asia in 2015 with total wealth of IDR 11.2 trillion according to Goal.com (Indonesian edition) website.

Persib's success on becoming one of the most powerful financial club is certainly not without means. Director of Marketing Persib, M. Farhan said that the club's success was not separated from the marketing team's performance.

Persib was previously owned by the city government and its budget was allocated from the city budget. In accordance with the regulations of Permendagri No. 13/2006 which was revised to Permendagri No. 59/2007, professional clubs are no longer allowed to use government budget. This condition forced 36 Football Union, the stakeholder of Persib, to agree giving a mandate to former Bandung Mayor Dada Rosada to save Persib so it can still enter the competition. PT. Persib Bandung Bermartabat (PT. PBB) was then founded on 20 August 2009 as the legal basis of the club.

Erick Thohir, the owner of Mahaka Media, Viva Media, Philadelphia 76ers, Satria Muda BritAma Jakarta, and former owner of D.C. United and Inter Milan, was one of the commissioners in PT. Persib Bandung Bermartabat.

Media coverage

Persib TV is the official YouTube channel that is owned by Persib and contains club activities such as exclusive interviews with players and staff, club information and match highlights.

Affiliated clubs

• ITA Inter Milan
• AUS Adelaide United
• GER Borussia Dortmund

Persib Academy

Persib launched Persib Academy, directly affiliated with Inter Milan. The inauguration of Persib Academy was held at Siliwangi Stadium on 13 February 2018. In the launching Persib bring then president and vice-president of Inter Milan, Erick Thohir and Javier Zanetti. In addition, there were also Director and senior officials of Persib and also Director of Global Youth Business Inter Academy, Barbara Biggi and Inter Academy Head Coach, Andrea Ratti and his staff. For the academy cooperation, Inter Milan specifically brought in Inter Academy coach, Claudio Brambilla. The plan he will be in Bandung for two months ahead. He will provide direct treatment and share his knowledge to learners and coaches Persib Academy. Persib Academy is a form of collaboration with Inter Academy, not only presenting Inter Academy coaches, Persib Academy will use the academy curriculum based in Centro Sportivo Giacinto Facchetti, Milan, Italy.

Bandung United

Bandung United competes in Liga 3, the third tier of Indonesian football. The club was founded in 2019 after the takeover of Blitar United by PT. Persib Bandung Bermartabat and its subsequent relocation to Bandung. It is the feeder club of Persib and holds its home matches at Siliwangi Stadium.

Prawira Bandung and Satria Muda

Through PT. PBB, Persib was related to Indonesian Basketball League club Prawira Bandung, having acquired and renamed the club from Garuda Bandung in 2018. The club was said to be "the basketball branch of Persib". However, PT. PBB acquired Satria Muda, and disbanded Prawira in 2025.

Players

Out on loan

Other players under contract

Retired numbers

• 24 – Hariono

Club captains

The following is a list of Persib Bandung captains in official competitions (records available from the 1980s onwards)

Club officials

Coaching staff

|– |– |–

;Key

• Tms. = Number of teams
• Pos. = Position in league

Honours

Other Achievements

;Domestic Cup Competitions

• Piala Utama/Inter Island Cup/Piala Presiden/Piala Menpora
  • Runners-up (3): 1992, 2014, 2021 ;AFC (Asian competitions)
• AFC Champions League Elite
  • Quarter-finals (1): 1995
• AFC Champions League Two
  • Round of 16 (1): 2015 ;Friendly Tournament
• Brunei Pesta Sukan Cup
  • Winners (1): 1986

AFC club ranking

References

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