Thoriq Alkatiri And Nurhadi Sulchan Lead AFC Cup Match, PSSI: Proof That Indonesian Referees Are Not Losing Quality

JAKARTA - PSSI Secretary General Yunus Nusi said that his party was proud that two Indonesian referees, Thoriq Alkatiri and Nurhadi Sulchan, were trusted to lead the play-off and preliminary matches for Group D, the 2021 AFC Cup in the Maldives.

"We are grateful that the AFC has trusted PSSI to send referees and assistant referees to prestigious events such as the 2021 AFC Cup. This also proves that Indonesian referees are not inferior in quality to referees from other countries," said Yunus, quoted by Antara from the PSSI page in Jakarta, Wednesday.

PSSI, the man from Gorontalo continued, fully supports the assignment of Thoriq and Nurhadi, two FIFA licensed referees.

PSSI hopes that this will motivate other referees in the country.

"We hope that Thoriq and Nurhadi can carry out their duties well there. Their experience in leading international matches is certainly a motivation for other referees in Indonesia," said Yunus.

Meanwhile, Nurhadi Sulchan promised to give his best during his tenure in the 2021 AFC Cup, which was his first experience involved in a foreign match.

Some of the preparations he did, in addition to sharpening his knowledge of the rules of football or the latest 'law of the game', were physical and stamina preparation.

"This is so that I can carry out my duties properly and smoothly. Thank you to AFC and PSSI for trusting us," said Nurhadi.

The 2021 AFC Cup play-off and Group D matches will take place in the Maldives on 15-24 August 2021.

Group D is filled with teams from South Asia, namely ATK Mohun Bagan (India), Bashundara Kings (Bangladesh), Maziya (Maldives) and one play-off winning club.

The play-off itself brought together Bangaluru (India) against Club Eagles (Maldives).

Indonesia actually has representatives in the 2021 AFC Cup, namely Bali United and Persipura.

However, the two League 1 clubs canceled competing in the tournament because the AFC canceled the ASEAN Zone group phase match citing the uncontrolled COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the Southeast Asia region.