Persija Missed, After Riko Simanjuntak Recovered From COVID-19 It Was Coach Sudirman's Turn To Be Positive

Sudirman (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Week 23 of Liga 1 2021/2022 will feature an exciting match between Arema FC and Persija Jakarta. Ahead of the match which took place on Saturday, February 5 in Bali, there was good news as well as bad news brought by the Kemayoran Tigers.

The good news is that one of their mainstay players, Riko Simanjuntak, has recovered from exposure to COVID-19 that had infected him. Riko himself has been quarantined since January 26, he was later tested negative after undergoing a PCR test on Wednesday, February 2.

“I am grateful that I can finally recover from COVID-19. Right now I will focus on preparing myself to help the team in the next match," said Riko as quoted from Persija Jakarta's official website.

On the same occasion, Persija also reported that five team members were declared exposed to COVID-19. Based on the results of tests conducted on Wednesday, one of them is the head coach of the Kemayoran Tigers, Sudirman.

Now, the coach must undergo quarantine and self-isolation in order to recover his condition. This means that Sudirman cannot accompany his foster children against Arema FC.

Prior to Riko Simanjuntak, other Persija Jakarta employees, namely Maman Abdurrahman and Syahrian Abimanyu were also declared exposed to COVID-19. As of now, they are still in quarantine.

Persija management feels cheated by this incident. This is because they have tightened the implementation of the internal bubble system to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among players, coaches and officials during Liga 1 in Bali.

The protocol forms include not being allowed to leave the hotel and being prohibited from making contact with people outside the team.