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Thomas Doll surrenders 3 Persija players to the Indonesian U-24 national team. Photo: PSSI/SINDOnews Collage
JAKARTA – Persija Jakarta coach, Thomas Doll, expressed his feelings of resignation when he had to release three of his key players to the Indonesian U-24 National Team for the 2022 Asian Games. According to Doll, there is no coach in the world who is happy when his players have to go to the national team in the middle of the season , especially outside the FIFA calendar.
Indra Sjafri, coach of the Indonesian U-24 National Team, called 22 players to participate in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which will take place from 23 September to 8 October 2023. From the Persija squad, the three players called up are Syahrian Abimanyu, Rizky Ridho, and Dony Tri Pamungkas.
These three players are an important part of the Persija squad, and their departure will of course affect the team’s readiness for League 1 matches. Doll revealed that every coach in the world is not happy when their players have to leave for the national team in the middle of the season.
Even though he had reservations, Doll admitted that they had agreed with the Indonesian U-24 National Team coaching team. They hope that these players will return in good health and be ready to play for the club after the Asian Games tournament.
“I think every coach in the world is not happy when in the middle of the season a player leaves (to the national team). “Some teams don’t have players in the national team, so they can always play with the same team,” said Doll at a press conference, Saturday (16/9/2023).
“We have discussed this. We wish them the best now. Hopefully they come back healthy because we have a few games ahead.” The lid.
While a player’s call-up to the national team is an honor, it is often a challenge for club coaches, especially when key players are absent from important matches at club level. Doll and Persija Jakarta hope that their players can perform well for the U-24 Indonesian National Team and return to the club in top condition.
(sto)