Stupid! Riko Simanjuntak Wrongly Wearing Jersey When Persija Defeated Persipura, Sanctions Await

Riko Simanjuntak wearing the wrong jersey (Instagram.com/@ultras.id)

JAKARTA - A ridiculous moment occurred in the match between Persija Jakarta and Peripura Jayapura, Tuesday, January 11. Riko Simanjuntak wore the wrong jersey, which made the Kemayoran Tigers threatened with a fine.

The incident began when Riko entered the field after halftime. Marco Simic's tandem player turned out to be on the field with a jersey that didn't belong to him.

Riko himself actually wore a jersey with the back number 25 in the first round. But when he entered the second round, he instead wore jersey number 31.

In fact, jersey number 31 belongs to Samuel Christianson Simanjuntak. Samuel is Persija's new recruit in the 2021 Liga 1 season transfer market, which he brought from Madura United.

Riko's mistakes in this match seem understandable. Because if you look at the facts, both Riko and Samuel both have the same last name, namely Simanjuntak, which is pinned on their respective jerseys.

Fortunately, Riko's mistake was realized by Persija officials who immediately asked the player to change jerseys. Three minutes later, Riko was also seen wearing his own jersey numbered 25.

Even though this incident was an oversight, Persija was threatened with a serious fine. The reason is, this has violated the regulation of Liga 1 2021 article 44 paragraph 3.

This jersey swap incident had previously been experienced by PSIS Semarang goalkeeper, Jandia Eka Putra. During the PSIS match against PSM Makassar, Jandia played using the jersey of the reserve goalkeeper, Joko Ribowo.

As a result, Laskar Mahesa Jenar was sentenced to a fine of Rp. 10 million. It is not impossible for Persija to be fined the same amount.

Not only threatened with fines, this match against Persipura also reaped bitter results for Persija. Because, they failed to win points after being defeated by Black Pearl 1-2.