Arema FC Resting Eduardo Almeida, Appoint Kuncoro Becomes Caretaker

JAKARTA - Arema FC management officially rested Portuguese coach Eduardo Almeida as the squad's architect nicknamed Singo Edan, after the 44-year-old's performance was evaluated.

Arema FC manager Ali Rifki in an official statement quoted by Antara on Monday said that the step to rest Almeida was issued after all levels of management agreed to the decision.

"This decision was officially confirmed after all levels of leadership and management of Arema FC evaluated the performance of the head coach," said Ali.

Ali explained that the management expressed its gratitude for the dedication of the Portuguese coach to Arema FC who was able to scratch the history of achievements in Singo Edan's journey in the 2021-2022 season competition and brought the pride team of the Malang Raya residents to win the pre-season tournament of the 2022 President Cup.

According to him, Arema FC management appointed Kuncoro as caretaker or interim coach to replace the Portuguese coach. Previously, Kuncoro was an assistant coach of the Singo Edan team.

"As a substitute, Almeida management appointed Coach Kuncoro as a caretaker to handle the team with other assistant coaches," he said.

He added that the reason for Arema FC's management to make this decision was, among other things, an evaluation process that had been carried out. With this decision, it is also necessary to have fresh conditions and situations in the team's body so that the Singo Edan squad is able to be at the top of performance.

"This refresh is important so that the team returns to the target path set by the management, namely every match is final and achieves maximum points," he said.

Ali added that Eduardo Almeida is currently resting and does not train the Singo Edan team. However, Almeida still has not broken his contract with Arema FC. Arema FC is still fully obliged to pay Almeida's salary even though he is no longer coaching Singo Edan.

On that occasion, the management also apologized to many parties if the decision taken by management harmed other parties and requested that all parties accept the decision, including the appointment of Arema FC caretakers.

Let Aremania support this refreshing step in our beloved team. We support it with positive things so that Arema FC excels," he said.

Currently, the Singo Edan team is in 8th place by pocketing 11 points. The result was obtained from three wins, two draws and three defeats. This week, Arema FC will host Persib Bandung in a follow-up match which will be held at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang Regency, Sunday (11/9).