Euphoria immediately blanketed the Bhayangkara Presisi Indonesia FC camp at the Gelora Bumi Kartini Stadium in Jepara after the referee had called time on Wednesday’s 2024/25 Liga 2 Indonesia championship group match. The 0-0 draw that Bhayangkara got with hosts Persijap Jepara was enough for the Guardians to seal a return to the Liga 1 Indonesia after one year away.
Despite their controversial reputation—stemming from their association with the Indonesian National Police and their controversial 2017 Liga 1 title—Bhayangkara consistently remained one of Indonesia’s strongest football teams. Their relegation at the end of the 2023/24 season, finishing second-last despite boasting former AS Roma and Inter Milan star Radja Nainggolan, was a major shock.
Unlike fellow relegated sides Persikabo 1973 and RANS Nusantara FC, Bhayangkara wasted no time plotting a swift return to Liga 1. While Persikabo faced financial turmoil due to ownership issues and the government’s ban on their longtime betting company sponsor, and RANS Nusantara appeared neglected by owner Raffi Ahmad after his political appointment, Bhayangkara doubled down on their squad. They retained key players like Awan Setho, Indra Kahfi, Muhammad Hargianto, Alsan Sanda, David Maulana, Wahyu Subo Seto, Sani Rizki Fauzi, and Dendy Sulistyawan while reinforcing their ranks with Ruben Sanadi, Frengky Missa, Andy Setyo, Erwin Gutawa, and a returning Ilija Spasojević. Although Nainggolan departed, Bhayangkara managed to keep their talismanic Uruguayan playmaker, Matías Mier.
Despite competing in the second tier, Bhayangkara maintained their star-studded status and dominated the regular season, losing just once while securing nine wins and six draws—including a 7-0 demolition of Persikas Subang, Liga 2’s biggest win this season.
Although Mier left midway through the campaign to join Liga 1 side Barito Putera, his absence did little to slow down Hanim Sugiarto’s team. They remained unbeaten in the championship round, winning two and drawing three of their five matches. Their commanding lead meant that a draw against Persijap on Wednesday was enough to seal promotion, which they duly delivered.
Bhayangkara’s journey—plummeting to the second tier only to retain their core squad and cruise back to promotion—mirrors Thai powerhouse BG Pathum United’s dramatic turnaround in 2018. Then known as Bangkok Glass, BGPU underwent a controversial rebranding based on a fortune teller’s advice, switching from green to blue. Despite boasting big names like Surachat Sareepim, Anon Amornlerdsak, Chakkit Laptrakul, Chatchai Bootprom, Thitiphan Puangchan, Tanaboon Kesarat, Ariel Rodríguez, and Matt Smith, they were shockingly relegated.
Determined to bounce back, they rebranded as BG Pathum United in 2019, reverting to their original crest (now in blue) and signing reinforcements like Singapore international Irfan Fandi and Brazilian forward Barros Tardeli while retaining a strong core. This strategy paid off as they stormed to the Thai League 2 title, finishing 13 points ahead of runners-up Police Tero.
BGPU then completed their fairytale comeback by winning the 2020 Thai League 1 title. Could Bhayangkara follow suit and claim their second Liga 1 championship after securing promotion?