Less than a year ago, Raffi Ahmad boldly declared his unwavering commitment to RANS Nusantara, even after their relegation from Liga 1 Indonesia. Fast forward to February 2025, and the club faces an uncertain future following a second consecutive demotion—this time from Liga 2 to the third-tier Liga Nusantara. What went wrong for the Prestige Phoenix?
To understand RANS Nusantara’s struggles, we must first look at its origins.
Founded in 2012 as Cilegon United, the club spent years in the lower tiers of Indonesian football without much fanfare. However, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a significant blow to its finances.
In March 2021, Indonesian celebrity Raffi Ahmad, an actor, singer, and media mogul, teamed up with businessman Rudy Salim, owner of North Jakarta-based supercar dealer Prestige Motorcars, to acquire Cilegon United. The club was rebranded as RANS Cilegon, adopting purple and pink as its signature colors, and became part of Raffi’s expanding RANS empire—a business portfolio spanning basketball, eSports, animation, a YouTube channel, a music label, a production house, and multiple restaurants, all co-managed with his wife, Nagita Slavina.
As part of his vision to establish RANS Cilegon as “the next powerhouse of Indonesian football,” Raffi invested heavily in the club, signing star players like Alfin Tuasalamony, Rifal Lastori, Sirvi Arvani, Patrich Wanggai, Chandra Waskito, Kartika Ajie, Asri Akbar, and Hamka Hamzah. He also persuaded veterans Cristian Gonzales and Tarik El Janaby, along with former footballer-turned-celebrity Syamsir Alam, to come out of retirement and join the squad.
Alongside these experienced names, Raffi recruited a promising group of young talents who would later make their mark in Indonesian football, including Tegar Infantrie, Ikhsan Zikrak, Ilhamsyah, Fadilla Akbar, and Ramdani Tawainella.
His investment quickly paid off, as RANS Cilegon surged to the final of the 2021/22 Liga 2. Though they fell 2-1 to Persis Solo, their runner-up finish secured promotion to the 2022/23 Liga 1 Indonesia—bringing Raffi one step closer to his ambitious goal.
This is where things started to unravel for the club.
Had RANS Cilegon remained in Cilegon, they could have built on the solid fanbase left by Cilegon United and established themselves as a force in Banten football alongside Persita Tangerang, Persikota Tangerang, and Perserang Serang.
Instead, for their first-ever Liga 1 season, Raffi relocated the team to Pakansari Stadium in Bogor and rebranded them as RANS Nusantara. While the name change aimed to “gain support from fans across Indonesia,” the reason behind the relocation remains unclear to this day.
The most common theory is that RANS Nusantara was moved to the Jabodetabek region to be closer to Raffi’s other business ventures, as the RANS empire is headquartered in Andara, Depok. With Merpati Stadium in Depok ineligible for Liga 1 matches, Pakansari became the most viable option.
Additionally, Raffi is developing a dedicated sports complex in the Pantai Indah Kapuk 2 (PIK 2) gated community, a large-scale urban project by Agung Sedayu Group on the outskirts of North Jakarta, West Jakarta, and Tangerang Regency. RANS PIK Basketball, his basketball team, has already been confirmed as a tenant in this upcoming facility.
Despite this, Raffi remained committed to developing his football club. After sending RANS Cilegon on a training camp in Turkey the previous year, he took things a step further for RANS Nusantara’s Liga 1 debut by forging a partnership with J.League 2 side Tokushima Vortis.
The Prestige Phoenix also signed several players with significant experience in Indonesian football’s top tier, including goalkeepers Wawan Hendrawan and Hilmansyah, defenders Edo Febriansyah, Arif Satria, Agus Nova, and Ady Setiawan, midfielders Sandi Sute, Finky Pasamba, Paulo Sitanggang, and David Laly, as well as forwards Septian Bagaskara and Defri Rizki.
However, RANS Nusantara’s biggest coups were the signings of V.League 1 standout Wander Luiz, Indonesian top-flight veteran Makan Konaté, and former Borussia Dortmund prospect Mitsuru Maruoka.
Despite these investments, RANS Nusantara struggled in the 2022/23 Liga 1 season, finishing at the bottom of the table. They were spared relegation only due to its abolishment following the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy. Additionally, their home matches saw sparse attendance, with minimal support from the stands, highlighting the club’s struggle to build a loyal fanbase.
Realizing they had been given a lifeline, Raffi immediately set out to rebuild the squad for the 2023/24 campaign. He appointed head coach Eduardo Almeida and revamped most of RANS Nusantara’s foreign contingent. Only Mitsuru Maruoka was retained from the previous season, while new signings like Evandro Brandão, Kiko, and Angelo Meneses emerged as standout performers for that season.
However, Raffi further distanced RANS Nusantara from the Indonesian footballing public by relocating the club—yet again—this time to Maguwoharjo Stadium in Sleman. His reasoning? Aside from minimizing operating costs and securing a temporary home while Pakansari underwent renovations, he claimed that RANS Nusantara players would be able to enjoy the beauty of Sleman and the Special Region of Yogyakarta after matches. He also promised to regularly attend games and reward players and staff with bonuses after each victory.
Adding to the controversy, RANS Nusantara made the unprecedented decision to ban all supporters from attending home matches at Maguwoharjo. While Raffi cited “safety reasons” for the move, skepticism quickly grew among Indonesian football fans, who began to suspect that something was amiss within the club.
Despite his reputation as a successful businessman, many of Raffi’s ventures—particularly in the culinary industry—failed to sustain long-term success and folded shortly after launching.
Among them were Bakmi RN, a noodle restaurant founded by Raffi and Nagita; Mango Bomb, a mango-based beverage chain; and Gigiet Cake, a pastry shop chain started by Nagita. Additionally, cassava-based snack brands Nagitoz and King Kong Snack, developed by Nagita and Raffi respectively, also struggled. Even RA Jeans, Raffi’s own denim fashion line, failed to make a lasting impact.
Curiously, another short-lived venture under his name was RANS Nusantara—not the football club, but a furniture line launched in collaboration with DIO Living.
These business failures, coupled with Raffi’s close ties to high-ranking officials within the Indonesian government, fueled speculation that some of his ventures were merely fronts for money laundering operations. Allegations surfaced suggesting that Raffi himself was deeply involved in these schemes, further casting doubt on the legitimacy of his sprawling business empire.
The fact that RANS Nusantara continued to operate despite generating little to no revenue from ticket or merchandise sales only added to the suspicions. With jersey prices set surprisingly high for a club supposedly trying to attract widespread support, many questioned how the team was sustaining itself. This fueled speculation that RANS Nusantara was yet another of Raffi’s alleged money laundering fronts—kept alive solely by his financial injections rather than genuine commercial success. As long as Raffi could pump in funds, the club survived for another day.
On the sporting front, RANS Nusantara started the season strongly, showing promise in the first half. However, much like Hull City in the 2008/09 Premier League season, the Prestige Phoenix suffered a disastrous collapse in the latter half of the campaign. They failed to secure a single victory in the second half of the season, leading to their relegation from Liga 1.
Following the club’s relegation, Raffi reaffirmed his commitment to RANS Nusantara, vowing to remain as the club’s owner and to lead the Prestige Phoenix back to the top flight as soon as possible.
However, the 2024/25 off-season saw a stark decline in the club’s social media activity, with RANS Nusantara remaining silent for weeks— even months. Unlike the previous two seasons, when Raffi eagerly publicized nearly every aspect of pre-season preparations, this time, fans were left completely in the dark about the team’s plans for life back in the second tier.
During this period of silence, speculation that RANS Nusantara was merely another of Raffi’s alleged money-laundering schemes grew and intensified—especially as he seemed more preoccupied with campaigning for Prabowo Subianto during the 2024 elections than managing his own football club.
Then, just weeks before the 2024/25 Liga 2 season kicked off, RANS Nusantara finally broke its silence with a public announcement—yet another relocation.
With Prabowo winning the 2024 election and becoming Indonesia’s 8th president, Raffi finally turned his attention back to RANS Nusantara. He announced that the club would relocate once again, this time to Pasuruan, East Java, for the 2024/25 Liga 2 season, with Untung Suropati Stadium as its new home. The move was met with enthusiasm from Pasuruan’s mayor and vice-mayor, who eagerly welcomed RANS Nusantara to their city.
However, the move raised more questions than excitement. Pasuruan already had two well-established football teams, Persekabpas Kabupaten Pasuruan and Persekap Kota Pasuruan, competing in the lower leagues. The landscape became even more crowded with the recent formation of Pasuruan United, along with PSPK Kota Pasuruan and Assyabaab Bangil. With such a saturated market, many wondered—why bring RANS Nusantara into the mix?
Many speculated—unsurprisingly—that this was yet another politically motivated move.
Saifullah Yusuf, the mayor of Pasuruan, and his deputy, Adi Wibowo, were both seeking to defend their positions in the 2024 city elections. As members of a party that formed a significant part of Prabowo’s coalition, their connection to Raffi—one of Prabowo’s close allies—raised suspicions that RANS Nusantara’s relocation was less about football and more about politics. The club’s presence in Pasuruan seemed like a strategic move to leverage the sport as a tool to boost their electoral prospects.
In the lead-up to the elections, Saifullah stepped down as mayor after being appointed Minister of Social Affairs for the remainder of President Joko Widodo’s term—a role he retained once Prabowo took office. This left Adi to run for mayor unchallenged, securing victory in a landslide due to the absence of any opposition.
Back to the topic, RANS Nusantara went radio silent again after the relocation announcement, before suddenly springing back to life with a complete squad just as the new Liga 2 season rolls around.
There were no marquee signings, either on the pitch or in the coaching staff. The managerial role was handed to Edi Sudiarto, formerly in charge of Persatu Tuban and Persema Malang. However, for a club aiming to return to the top flight, Sudiarto’s appointment was far from inspiring. His Persema side only managed to reach the round of 16 in the 2021/22 Liga 3 Jawa Timur, while his tenure at Persatu ended in relegation from the 2017 Liga 2.
A quick glance at the squad revealed a few recognizable names. Syaiful Indra Cahya, formerly of Arema FC and Persipura Jayapura, stood out—not just for his playing career but also for his infamous kung-fu kick incident during his stint at AHHA PS Pati. Another familiar face was Yericho Christiantoko, a former Arema player who once had a spell at CS Vise in Belgium. However, unlike his fellow Vise alumni—Alfin, Syamsir, and Yandi Sofyan—Yericho’s career trajectory was far less impressive, with most of his time spent in the lower leagues.
Veteran defender Munhar also made the squad, bringing experience from PSM Makassar’s victorious 2018/19 Piala Indonesia campaign. Before joining RANS Nusantara, he captained Persibo Bojonegoro to promotion from the 2023/24 Liga 3 Indonesia.
RANS Nusantara also brought in Guntur Ariyadi, a seasoned midfielder with over 100 appearances for Madura United, alongside Didik Ariyanto, who had previously played for PSMS Medan and Persikab Kabupaten Bandung. In goal, they secured Dimas Galih, formerly of Kalteng Putra and Persik Kediri, adding experience to their defensive lineup.
For their foreign signings, the club started the season with Brazilian winger Jo Santos, who had been part of the Sulut United squad that suffered relegation from Liga 2 in 2023/24, and Kyrgyz midfielder Bektur Talgat Uulu, a former PSM player.
However, the biggest signing of their return to the second tier was Kenyan forward Ismael Dunga, who had been on the books of J.League 1 side Sagan Tosu as recently as the 2022 season. It was no surprise that until his midseason departure, Ismael was RANS Nusantara’s standout performer.
Later in the season, both Ismael and Jo were replaced by Belarusian striker Ivan Veras and Chilean attacker Ronny Maza, the latter joining on loan from Persiku Kudus. While Maza failed to make a significant impact, Veras proved to be a decent addition to RANS Nusantara’s attack with his three goals from nine games.
As expected from a hastily assembled squad of veterans, has-beens, and relative unknowns, RANS Nusantara endured a disastrous 2024/25 campaign. They finished second-to-last in their regular-season group, with only the financially troubled Persewar Waropen placing below them. Even that provided little consolation, as RANS Nusantara suffered the humiliation of being the only team Persewar managed to defeat—squandering a 2-1 lead to lose 3-5 at the Untung Suropati Stadium.
Relegation to the third tier was swift and inevitable once the relegation round began, as RANS Nusantara finished rock bottom of their group without a single win to their name. Their final two matches were nothing short of disastrous—they conceded a staggering 13 goals, suffering an 8-0 thrashing away to Persipura Jayapura, where Ramai Rumakiek single-handedly put six past them, before wrapping up their miserable campaign with a 5-0 home defeat to fellow relegated side Persipa Pati.
Throughout this string of dismal performances, Raffi was notably absent, a stark contrast to his overwhelming presence during RANS Nusantara’s previous Liga 2 campaign and their two seasons in Liga 1. His lack of involvement only fueled further speculation about his true commitment to the club.
And it wasn’t just RANS Nusantara that suffered from Raffi’s sudden “vanishing act.”
RANS PIK Basketball also underwent significant changes as a result of his increased focus on politics, including a management overhaul and a relocation from Pantai Indah Kapuk to Bogor. Fortunately, Raffi handed the reins to fellow actor Gading Marten, who has shown a far more genuine passion for sports.
Under Gading’s leadership and with the support of like-minded individuals within the management, the team secured a new sponsor and underwent a rebrand, emerging as RANS Simba Bogor. Unlike their football counterpart, RANS Simba Bogor has been thriving in the 2025 Indonesia Basketball League season, currently sitting fourth in the standings.
Meanwhile, RANS Nusantara continued to spiral, with Raffi seemingly abandoning the club entirely and leaving the Prestige Phoenix to navigate their downfall alone.
Things went from bad to worse when a recent post from the widely followed Instagram account forumwasitindonesia_ dropped a bombshell: Raffi had allegedly abandoned RANS Nusantara and handed control of the team to a Malaysia-based betting syndicate. This shocking claim seemingly explained the team’s bizarre results, particularly during the relegation round.
However, with no concrete evidence beyond the forumwasitindonesia_ post, the truth behind this allegation remains uncertain.
What is certain, however, is that without intervention from individuals with both the passion and resources to revive the club, RANS Nusantara is on track to suffer the same fate as Raffi’s previous failed business ventures—hyped up at the start, only to be discarded once deemed an “unprofitable failure.”
With no dedicated fanbase or true home ground to rely on, RANS Nusantara risks being remembered not as a football club with ambition, but as just another alleged money-laundering front in Raffi’s portfolio of abandoned projects.