JAKARTA - New foreign player PSIM Yogyakarta Jop van der Avert admitted that he was happy with his debut with Laskar Mataram when he appeared in full in the 2-2 draw against Persik Kediri in the 21st week of the 2025/2026 BRI Super League at the Gelora Joko Samudro Stadium, Gresik, Friday.
In that match, as reported by Antara, Van der Avert duet with Franco Ramos Mingo as a central defender in a 4-3-3 formation. "Of course this is the first match, so I think I need to get used to Indonesian football. Everything went smoothly and I started to get used to the weather," said Jop, quoted from the official PSIM website, Monday, February 16.
Even though he has just experienced the atmosphere of the match in person, Jop admitted that he had long been paying attention to the development of football in Indonesia.
"I watch a lot of games because my friends also play in Indonesia, so I watch some games, but it's always different when you're on the field yourself," he said.
The Dutch defender then appreciated the quality of the competition in Indonesia which he thought was continuing to improve. For him, the presence of many foreign players is an added value that facilitates the process of interaction within the team.
"I think this league is developing, so I think it's a very good thing. I think it's better here because the team has more foreign players, so I can communicate more easily," said Jop.
Regarding the adaptation process outside the technical match, the 25-year-old player feels very comfortable with his new environment. "Everything went smoothly. I'm starting to get used to the weather. The environment is pleasant, so yes, I feel very good," explained Jop.
He added that the biggest challenge for every new player is the process of getting to know all the existing team members. However, the hot weather factor in Indonesia is still considered the most prominent aspect that every player must face.
"The difficult thing is always when you come to a new team to get to know everyone. But especially in Indonesia with the weather, I think it's the biggest thing," said Jop.
This draw keeps PSIM in seventh place with 32 points from 21 matches. In the next match, the Laskar Mataram will play a match in Ramadan against Bali United at the Sultan Agung Stadium, Monday (23/2).
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
