Jordi Really Wants To Defend The National Team Even Though He Is Bleeding, PSSI Chairman Appreciates: That's Patriotism

Jordi Amat fought desperately in the two matches of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup until he was injured (doc. PSSI).

JAKARTA - PSSI General Chairperson (Ketum), Erick Thohir, expressed his appreciation to the Indonesian national team player, Jordi Amat, after fighting to help the team win against Vietnam in the second match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup.

High appreciation was thrown by the PSSI chairman to Jordi Amat after the player appeared bloody in two Garuda Squad matches. From those two matches, Jordi Amat did suffer quite serious injuries.

In the inaugural group stage match against Iraq, Jordi suffered a collision until he was handled by the medical team. Because of the incident, the player had revealed that his condition was bleeding when he was urinating.

After the incident, Jordi did not lack the spirit to defend the team. He returned to appear when the Indonesian national team won 1-0 against Vietnam.

In the match which took place on Friday, January 19, 2024, Jordi was injured again. This time, he suffered a broken bone next to his nose and again had a bleeding.

Seeing how the fighting spirit of Jordi Amat in the Indonesian national team, the chairman of PSSI did not hesitate to appreciate the player.

He said what Jordi Amat showed was a real form of patriotism even though the defender was a naturalized player.

"Yes, that's patriotism. That's what I said never to distinguish between players in the Indonesian League, which ones in foreign leagues, not to differentiate ethnicity, religion, where were they born, right," said the chairman of PSSI met in Sudirman, Central Jakarta, on Monday, January 22, 2024.

"This is what is called building a team, a unit of togetherness that can produce something good. Anyone who wants to defend Red and White, that's Indonesia," he said.

From Jordi Amat's bloody struggle, Erick Thohir expressed his gratitude. However, he also did not turn a blind eye to the struggle of other Indonesian national team players who also sacrificed to produce the team's first victory in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup.

"I thank Jordi (Amat). I also thank all the players who wanted to sacrifice yesterday's vacation to focus on the Indonesian national team," he said.

From the fighting spirit shown by Jordi Amat, the chairman of PSSI also hopes that the positive things can be transmitted to other Garuda Squad players in order to build each other's teams.

"I hope of course the values conveyed by Jordi can also flow to all (players), regardless of background as well. Sometimes there are players themselves (Indonesian workers) who ask why I don't play, we are one team, so we have to fill each other," he said.

In addition to appreciating Jordi Amat's patriotism and the hard work of Indonesian national team players, the chairman of PSSI also did not forget to thank the families of players who were willing to release players to fight on the field for Indonesia.

"I would like to thank the families of the players who are willing to let them go to work, train during the holidays that should be with their families. However, they were released because they wanted to bring Merah-White," he said.

After two matches were passed, Jordi Amat and his friends could not calm down. The reason is, there is a last match that must be passed against Japan.

In the match which took place on January 24, 2024, the Indonesian national team had to achieve a minimum draw in order to revive the hope of qualifying for the last 16 with the best third-placed status of the 2023 Asian Cup.