Circulating News There Are Covid-19 Reactive National Team Players, Kemenpora Asks PSSI To Perform Supervision

Illustration of Indonesian national team training session (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Indonesia's senior national team and U-19 players have not started a training session since head coach Shin tae-yong arrived in Indonesia last week. Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Gatot S. Dewo Broto is confident that PSSI will be open about the condition of the Garuda squad including the possibility of a COVID-19 case.

There is news circulating among the press that there is a national team player who shows reactive results during a rapid COVID-19 test. Then, there is also information about PSSI employees at the TC national team who are positive for COVID-19.

PSSI has not provided any information about this, but last Wednesday PSSI Chairman Mochamad Iriawan emphasized that all national team players in Jakarta were negative for COVID-19.

"PSSI is probably looking for the right timing," said Gatot to Antara in Jakarta, Tuesday night.

According to Gatot, if he decided like that, then the PSSI policy was right.

Kemenpora believes PSSI will resolve or control the internal problems of the national team first before making an official statement to the public.

"If there is a COVID-19 case, PSSI has a team of doctors to control it. I see it like that," said Gatot.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Youth and Sports asked PSSI to really supervise.

"Do not let there be a new cluster of COVID-19 in the national team. I ask PSSI to issue a tactical policy from PSSI. At a minimum, if there are indications in that direction, those who are positive for COVID-19 will be completely separated," said Gatot.

The senior national team and U-19 are scheduled to take part in TC from 23 July to 8 August 2020 in Jakarta with strict health protocols.

29 senior national team players and 46 U-19 players were called up by national team manager Shin Tae-yong for TC.

For the national team, TC is preparation for the last three Group G matches of the 2022 World Cup Qualification for the Asian zone, each against Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, while the U-19 national team will compete in the U-19 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan on 14-31. October 2020.