Trio Kwek-Kwek dan Manajer ‘Kampungan’  

KENANGAN MANIS : Tim Persik Kediri ketika menjuara Liga II 2019

Beny Kurniawan, Manajer Persik yang ‘Dipecat’ (2-Habis)

Trio Kwek-Kwek dan Manajer ‘Kampungan’  

Oleh Imam Subawi

Wartawan Kediri Post

From Zero to Hero. Mungkin itu kata yang pas untuk menyebut Persik Kediri di bawah kendali pasukan trio kwek kwek, yakni Beny, Hendra, dan Widodo. Tanpa harus menafikan peran elemen-elemen lain yang ikut mendukung kebangkitan Persik. Tetapi mereka banyak dinilai sebagai motor penggerak kejayaan kembali Persik Kediri, setelah sekian tahun ‘tidur’ dan tidak segera bangun.

Trio kwek-kwek hanya ada modal Semangat dan Nekat ketika diberi kepercayaan untuk mengelola Persik. Berangkat mengurus Persik dengan kondisi terpuruk, degradasi di Liga III, nyaris tanpa modal, utang uang sana-sini untuk operasional, usai pertandingan baru dibayar atau bahkan bisa menunggak berbulan-bulan, harus dijalani. Hanya dengan satu keyakinan, Insya Alloh bisa.

Mereka mengurus Persik dari nol. Mereka harus merangkak dari bawah, mulai Liga III, lalu ke Liga II, hingga berhasil kembali ke kasta Liga tertinggi di Indonesia, Liga I. Hanya Widodo yang sudah lama ikut berkecimpung di Persik. Sejak Persik ditangani Iwan Budianto, dengan tugas yang tak tergantikan selama puluhan tahun, Announcer alias MC. Sedangkan Beny Kurniawan (manajer), Hendra (assisten Manajer), adalah orang baru, ibaratnya seperti orang kampung yang datang ke kota, yang sama sekali belum dikenal di dunia sepakbola Indonesia.

Dengan posisi demikian, Persik harus puasa dan ngirit. Memilih pemain lokal potensial yang bisa digaji ‘rendah’. Tak peduli diolok-olok sebagai pemain kampungan. Asal semangat bermain dan mau membuktikan diri bahwa mereka bisa. Dengan satu harapan, jika para pemain sukses membawa Persik berprestasi, para pemain akan dilirik oleh club-club besar dengan gaji yang memadai.

Dengan kondisi Persik yang seperti itu, wajar jika Persik Kediri selalu diremehkan oleh tim-tim lain yang memiliki segudang pemain ternama dan diisi beberapa pemain asing. Target sekedar bertahan di Liga II cukup wajar. Tapi, lagi-lagi Persik mampu menunjukkan bahwa tanpa pemain asing, tanpa pemain mahal, mereka mampu berprestasi dengan gemilang. Berprestasi melampaui target, hingga tak disangka mampu menjuarai Liga II dan naik di kasta Liga I.

Sukses menjuarai Liga III dan Liga II adalah bukti nyata kerja mereka. Produk lokal sama sekali tidak kalah dengan produk luar. Pemain ‘kampung’ tidak kalah oleh pemain ‘kota’. Terbukti, di tangan sang Manajer ‘kampungan’ dan tidak ‘profesional’, Beny Kurniawan dibantu sejumlah elemen lain, mampu membangkitkan kebanggaan pada Persik.

Kini, trio kwek-kwek itu tinggal menyisakan Widodo. Di tengah kekurangan jelasan alasan ‘pemecatan’ Beny Kurniawan, sang manajer, muncul sejumlah pertanyaan, akankah Persik mampu menjuarai Liga I ? sebagaimana Beny mampu membawa Persik juara Liga III dan Liga II? Apakah manajer ‘profesional’ yang akan ditunjuk menggantikan Beny  mampu membawa Persik lebih baik? Atau justru Persik akan terdegradasi lagi ke Liga II ? Mari kita tunggu hasil kinerja manajer ‘Profesional’ itu. (*)

Beny Kurniawan, Persik Manager who was-Fired ’(2-end)

Trio Kwek – Kwek and the ‘Kampungan’ Manager

By Imam Subawi
Journalist Kediri Post

From Zero to Hero. Maybe it’s the right word to refer to Persik Kediri under the control of the kwek-kwek  squad, namely Beny, Hendra, and Widodo. Without having to deny the role of other elements that helped support the rise of Peaches. But they are widely considered as the driving force back to the glory of Peach Kediri, after so many years of ‘sleeping’ and not immediately wake up.
The trio kwek-kwek only have Spirit and Daring capital when given the trust to manage Persik. Departing to take care of Persik  with the worst conditions, relegation in League III, almost no capital, debt money here and there for operations, after a new match is paid or even can be in arrears for months, must be lived. Only with one belief, God willing, can.
They take care of Persik from nothing. They had to crawl from the bottom, starting from League III, then to League II, to succeed in returning to the highest League caste in Indonesia, League I. Only Widodo had long been involved in Persik. Ever since Persik  was handled by Iwan Budianto, with an irreplaceable assignment for decades, Announcer or  MC. While Beny Kurniawan (manager), Hendra (assistant manager), is a new person, like a village person who comes to the city, which is completely unknown in the world of Indonesian football.
With this position, Persik must fast and save. Selecting potential local players who can be paid ‘low’. No matter being made fun of as a plebeian. The origin of the spirit of play and want to prove themselves that they can. With one hope, if the players succeed in bringing Persik achievement, the players will be glimpsed by big clubs with adequate salaries.
With such a condition of Persik , it is natural that Persik  Kediri is always underestimated by other teams that have a myriad of famous players and are filled with several foreign players. The target of just surviving in League II is quite reasonable. But, again, Persik  was able to show that without foreign players, without expensive players, they were able to perform brilliantly. Achievement exceeds the target, so unexpectedly able to win the League II and rise in the League I.
Success in winning the League III and League II is a clear proof of their work. Local products are not inferior to foreign products. The ‘village’ player is not inferior to the ‘city’ player. Evidently, in the hands of the ‘plebeian’ and not ‘professional’ managers, Beny Kurniawan was assisted by a number of other elements, capable of arousing pride in Persik.
Now, the Trio Kwek-Kwek  leaves Widodo. In the midst of a lack of clarity on the reason for the ‘dismissal’, Beny Kurniawan, the manager, raised a number of questions, will Persik be able to win the League I? as Beny was able to bring Persik champions League III and League II? Will the ‘professional’ manager who will be appointed to replace Beny be able to bring better persik? Or will Persik be relegated again to League II? Let’s wait for the results of the ‘Professional’ manager’s performance. (*)