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The 50,000 people cheering against Mustafic Fahrudin ended up convincing him to come back for more.

Fahrudin, originally from Yugoslavia, and his Singapore teammates weathered a raucous atmosphere at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium during the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup on Dec. 9, and he said that reception stuck in his mind up through his eventual move to Persija Jakarta.

“I remember the Indonesian fans, they created a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium,” Mustafic said. “My agent told me that most of them were Persija fans, and it was always my dream to play in front of a massive crowd. Now I’m here, and I think my dream has come true.”

If his memories of the Jakarta crowd faded while playing for Tampines Rovers, the 28-year-old midfielder received a fresh dose of Jakmania during his first look at Persija.

Hundreds of Persija supporters traveled to Sawangan, West Java, to watch their club in a tryout match against the Pelita Jaya under-21 team.

“It’s unbelievable to see people travel an hour and a half from Jakarta only to see a friendly game against a junior side. It’s very exciting for me to see these people,” he said.

Fahrudin’s move is only part of the ongoing influx of players from Singapore’s S-League to the Indonesian Super League.

The push for Singaporean talent sprang to life after Indonesia adopted the Asian Football Confederation’s “3 plus 2” rule, which allows clubs three unrestricted roster places for foreigners and two spots for players from AFC member nations.

International teammate and former Geylang United defender Baihakki Khaizan joined Fahrudin at Persija, while Arema Malang snapped up Tampines duo Noh Alam Shah and Ridhuan Muhamad. Two-time defending Copa Indonesia champion Sriwijaya FC signed defender Precious Emuejeraye from Woodlands Wellington FC, and it is reportedly close to acquiring Aleksandar Duric, the S-League’s leading scorer for the last two seasons, from Singapore Armed Forces FC.

Swapping Singapore for Indonesia is not without its risks. While the players may enjoy competing in front of more people, they also risk possible late paychecks and an ever-shifting schedule.

For Fahrudin, though, seeing is believing.

“I’ve heard all those stories. People always talk about this and that, but you have to be part of it, then you know the truth,” he said. “The reason I chose Indonesia is simply the fans. You play in front of 30,000 to 40,000 people every match. It’s really amazing. In Singapore, it’s only 2,000 to 2,500 crowds.

“I think it’s very simple [to understand] why I chose Indonesia. It’s the fanatic fans. Everyone is talking about football. This is what I want.”