Five Persija Players Called The U-23 Indonesian National Team, Thomas Doll Misleading: More Can Be Called

Persija Jakarta will face Persis Solo in the 31st week of Liga 1 2023/2024 (Instagram/@persija).

JAKARTA - Persija Jakarta coach Thomas Doll joked about the summons of five of his players to the U-23 Indonesian national team. The German coach even said that he was ready to release more players if asked.

Persija have released five players to the U-23 Indonesian national team to navigate the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar. The five players are Rizky Ridho, Muhammad Ferarri, Rio Fahmi, Dony Tri Pamungkas, and Rayhan Hannan.

"I always thought maybe they (the U-23 Indonesian National Team) could call more players from us. If they asked for 10, maybe we could give them."

"However, we are only insinuating it as a joke," said Thomas Doll during a press conference at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK) on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

Thomas Doll acknowledged that the summons of the five Persija players to the U-23 Indonesian national team also affected his team's performance. Moreover, currently the Kemayoran Tigers are slumping in 11th place in the 2023/2024 Liga 1 standings and the chance to finish in the top four is relatively small.

"Actually, if there are five players, we believe it can be even better in pursuing positions. Apart from avoiding relegation, we also want to move up the position, not only in 11th place," he said.

Currently, the Kemayoran Tigers have pocketed 38 points with four games remaining. Thomas Doll's team could actually pack a maximum of up to 50 points if they swept the rest of the match in Regular Season with a win.

The opportunity to finish in fourth place at the best for one ticket to the Championship Series is also still there because currently the fourth position is still struggling at 48 points. However, this opportunity is quite thin for Persija.

Apart from that, Persija's current situation, which only leaves 15 players, simply makes the coach frustrated. Moreover, Persija will host Persis Solo in the 31st week of Liga 1 2023/2024 at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

However, with the rest of the players, Thomas Doll believes that his team can still give the best performance and still have a chance to win.

"I always believe in the players here. Therefore, we have the opportunity to win Persis' home game. We know we are a good team," said Doll.