6 Months Absent From Training, Persija Forging Physical Players Ahead Of The Menpora Cup

Persija players such as Marc Klok (second from left) and Muhammad Rezaldi Hehanusa (second from right) train at the NYTC Field, Sawangan, Depok (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Jakarta Persija Club started preparations for the 2021 Menpora Cup pre-season tournament with a focus on fostering the physicality of its players since the inaugural training in Depok, Monday.

Quoted by Antara from Persija's official website in Jakarta, Tuesday, the coach of the Kemayoran Sudirman Tigers team said that body fitness was the initial target because it had been approximately six months since his team had not trained with high intensity due to the competition holiday.

Starting again is the beginning of the struggle 💪Wait for the complete Persija training video on the Official YouTube Channel of Persija Jakarta. # BelieveIn12 #PersijaJakarta pic.twitter.com/f1b9aJFCkF

- Persija Jakarta (@Persija_Jkt) March 1, 2021

“The players have been on vacation for a long time and have not done any high intensity training for almost six months. Therefore, in this initial preparation I try to increase their stamina so that during the match their physical condition is at least close to 100 percent, "said Sudirman.

In the first joint training since October 2020, Persija's squad only had 23 players. They had tested negative for COVID-19 just before the training was held.

As for Persija's mainstay players such as Marko Simic, Rohit Chand and Riko Simanjuntak have not been able to join their colleagues for several reasons.

If Rohit and Simic are still taking care of their departure to Indonesia, Riko asks permission because of family matters in her hometown, Pematangsiantar, North Sumatra.

They're back 👆 # BelieveIn12 #PersijaJakarta pic.twitter.com/4vF1Q3HLIF

- Persija Jakarta (@Persija_Jkt) March 1, 2021

The 2021 Menpora Cup pre-season tournament, which takes place on March 21-April 25, 2021, will be followed by 18 League 1 teams.

There are four regions that will host the group stage, namely Bandung, Sleman, Solo and Malang.

In accordance with the agreement of the National Police, Kemenpora, PSSI and LIB, the 2021 Menpora Cup must be implemented with strict implementation of the COVID-19 prevention health protocol.