Witan Has A National Team Player Label But Is Often Reserved By The Club, Persija Opens Up

Witan Sulaeman has recently spent more time on the bench at Persija Jakarta. (photo: dock. special)

JAKARTA - One of the Indonesian national team players, Witan Sulaeman, has recently spent more time on the bench at his club, Persija Jakarta. Regarding this situation, the club gave an explanation.

Persija's director, Muhammad Prapanca, emphasized that Witan's situation at the club was entirely the coach's decision, not because of other technical factors. Furthermore, Prapanca also said that the status of the national team players does not guarantee that they will be in the main squad.

"During the training camp with the national team, players usually try to give the best performance to enter the main structure. From the Persija side, maybe the coach still sees that Witan has not achieved his maximum performance," said Prapanca in a statement quoted on Saturday, February 22.

Even though he rarely appears as a starter, Prapanca ensures that Witan's physical condition does not experience any problems. The 22-year-old player is certain to remain in good shape and ready to be played at any time if needed by Persija coach Carlos Pena.

"When it comes to injury, Witan has no problem," he said.

On the same occasion, Prapanca also highlighted the tight competition in the Indonesian national team, which currently has many diaspora players. According to him, this is a challenge for local players to maintain their position in the national team, including Witan.

"I think with so many diaspora players, the statistics of some local players may look down," he concluded.

Currently, Witan is still waiting for a decision from the new coach of the Indonesian national team, Patrick Kluivert, about whether he will remain part of the Red-White squad for the 2026 World Cup Qualification match. With increasingly fierce competition, he must continue to prove his abilities both at club and international levels.