Mauricio Souza Not Sure Persija Will Play Hertha Berlin

Mauricio Souza/ Photo: ANTARA

JAKARTA - Persija Jakarta coach Mauricio Souza is not yet sure that his team will face German club Hertha Berlin on the 500th anniversary of Jakarta which falls on July 22, 2027.

Previously, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung had conveyed on the eve of the 2026 New Year celebration in Jakarta, that to enliven the 500th anniversary of Jakarta, his party would invite several foreign clubs to play against Persija. One of the clubs that according to Pramono had reached a consensus was Hertha Berlin.

"I saw it on the internet. But sorry, but the internet is full of times that it is not correct information. The internet says that new players are in our team, and also take players out of our team. So I will believe that the President has called us to tell us, in 2027 we have a trial against Hertha Berlin," said Souza at a press conference before the BRI Super League match against Persijap Jepara at the Utama Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Friday.

"It's good if there is a match, it's really good for Persija because Hertha Berlin is a big team in Germany. So Persija is a big team. It's good for Hertha Berlin to come and play against Persija," said the Brazilian coach.

On several occasions, Macan Kemayoran has indeed brought foreign teams to play friendly matches against them. Persija once brought Gamba Osaka (Japan) to Jakarta in 2015, then Espanyol (Spain) in 2017, and finally hosted Ratchaburi (Thailand) in 2022.

Outside of these friendly matches, Persija last participated in an Asian-level competition in 2019, namely the 2019 AFC Cup. At that time, Persija's steps only reached the group stage, but they were recorded to have received a number of foreign clubs, namely Shan United (Myanmar), Ceres Negros (Philippines), and Becamex Binh Duong (Vietnam).