Pratama Arhan's Fate In Tokyo Verdy So Proof That Indonesian Football Is Still Far Behind

JAKARTA - The CEO of PSIS Semarang, Yoyok Sukawi commented on the fate of Pratama Arhan, who rarely gets minutes to play at Tokyo Verdy. He said it was one proof that Indonesian football was still far behind Japan.

"I am not surprised that he is rarely played at Verdy. This means that Indonesian football is far behind in Japan," he said after the regular PSSI congress at the Sultan Hotel, Jakarta, last Sunday.

Arhan, 21, moved from PSIS Semarang to the club that played in J-League 2, in February 2022. However, for almost a year there, he still rarely gets playing minutes.

So far, the player from Blora has only played 45 minutes in just one match. The one-one match he played was when his team met Tochigi SC on July 6, 2022.

At that time, he played as a starter not in his original position as a full defender but was installed as a right winger. As a result, he did not perform optimally and was replaced after the break.

"We can't demand that Tokyo Verdy play Arhan. The quality is different, but I'm optimistic that Arhan can. It will take time," said Yoyok.

Although he rarely got minutes to play last season, Arhan's name remains in the Tokyo Verdy squad this season. This opportunity should have been used to prove himself.

Yoyok said that his party had absolutely no intention of attracting their former player back. Arhan, he said, should stay there to be able to add to the experience.

"He's better off studying there. At PSIS, it's just stuck that much. What's the point. It's better if he's there. Yesterday in the national team even though it's not optimal, but it looks prominent," he said.

This season Arhan is one of the nine defenders owned by the Japanese capital team. He will still wear the number 8 shirt.

Arhan is currently still under Tokyo Verdy's contract. His contract was effective as of March 2022 and lasted for two years.