Persija-Persib Big Match to be presented, operator cannot determine the referee in charge

I.League Operations Director Asep Saputra while giving information about foreign referees in Jakarta (Ulfa Gusti/Voi)

JAKARTA - I.League Operations Director Asep Saputra, as the competition operator, stated that his party could not determine the referee who would be in charge. This is related to the upcoming big match between Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung.

Regarding the referee who will later serve in the match, Asep revealed that the referee who leads a match is 100 percent the responsibility of the PSSI Referee Committee which is currently headed by Yoshimi Ogawa.

"It is 100 percent the authority of the Referee Committee," said Asep Saputra in a statement in Jakarta, quoted on Friday, December 26.

This was conveyed by the I.League after they received a new foreign referee, following the Japanese referee Yudai Yamamoto who was contracted full-time for the first time by the PSSI.

Yamamoto will lead the competition under the I.League, mainly the 2025/2026 Super League which has now entered the 14th week. With his new contract which lasts 1.5 years, Yudai will effectively work starting in January.

In the non-period there will be four weeks held, with a total of 32 matches played. Persib and Persija themselves will compete in the 17th week, precisely on Sunday at 15.30 WIB.

"One week there are nine matches, right? He must only be one or two matches. Maximum two maybe, one match. But again, that is the authority and authority of the Referee Committee," said Asep.

Meanwhile, Yamamoto also did not reveal which matches he would lead. He only confirmed that he would work according to the contract.

"According to the contract, I will start on January 1, 2026 to become a full-time referee in the Super League," said Yudai.

The meeting between the two teams is predicted to attract a lot of attention after Persib and Persija are now competing to become champions.

Persib is currently in second place with 31 points, while Persija, which is currently playing against Semen Padang, is in third place with 29 points. Both teams are closely following Borneo FC, which leads the standings with 34 points.