Bhayangkara Surabaya United

Bhayangkara FC was a by-product of internal conflict in one of Indonesia's oldest clubs, Persebaya Surabaya. As the conflict was peaking in 2010, a rebel faction acquired Persikubar West Kutai, a second-tier club based in West Kutai on Borneo, following the decision of the main faction to pull Persebaya out of the Indonesian Super League (ISL) and register it for the inaugural season of the Indonesian Premier League (IPL). The rebel faction renamed Persikubar into Persebaya and moved its base to Surabaya, so that the latter could still have a representation in the 2011 season of ISL, albeit in its second-tier.^[]

When the Persebaya DU team managed to win promotion into the top-tier of ISL in 2013, the naming issue became a legal battle as another Persebaya was playing in the top-tier of IPL. In a span of a year (August 2015 to September 2016), this team changed names four times in order to circumvent legal challenges from different parties, including the notorious Persebaya supporters known as Bonek. In April 2016, the team known at that time as Surabaya United, merged with PS Polri, the amateur club of the Indonesian National Police, to obtain legal backing and create Bhayangkara Surabaya United.

On 10 September 2016, the Indonesian National Police became the main operator of the club and renamed it into its current identification, Bhayangkara FC. Bhayangkara itself is a nickname for the Indonesian police, deriving from the name of the guardians of the ancient kingdom of Majapahit. In November 2020, the club moved its base to Surakarta after failing to win support from football fans in the national capital, already loyal to one of the most popular club in the country, Persija Jakarta. They then planned to change its name to Bhayangkara Solo. However, the renaming plan was canceled.

In 2017, Bhayangkara FC won the 2017 Liga 1 championship on a head-to-head decision, which was seen as controversial by football fans nationwide who preferred the runner-up Bali United, which had collected the same number of points. While the procedure was legal, fans considered Bhayangkara as an elitist creation, with no popular support, while Bali United had won the hearts of the people in Bali. Despite the championship, Bhayangkara FC was unable to compete in the 2018 AFC Champions League, and the AFC Champions League spot went to Bali United.

After winning the 2017 season, Bhayangkara had managed to finish mostly in the top five of the league table for three consecutive seasons. However, in the 2022–23 season, they only managed to finish seventh.

During the 2023–24 season, the team suffered a winless run which lasted for 16 matches, forcing them to make extensive player transfers, including the recruit of former Belgium national football team player, Radja Nainggolan.

Unfortunately, their rescue mission went short in matchday 32, as relegation contender Persita Tangerang drew 1–1 against Persik Kediri. Their fate was sealed further after a 1–2 loss agaunst Bali United.