JAKARTA - Week 24 of Liga 1 2021/2022 will present an exciting duel between PSS Sleman and Bali United at I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali, tonight. Although it will present an exciting match, both teams will certainly appear without being accompanied by their respective coaches.
I Putu Gede, coach of PSS Sleman and Robert Rene Alberts, coach of Persib are also confirmed to be absent. According to the PSS Sleman team doctor, Feras Ardiles, Putu Gede's absence was because the coach tested positive for COVID-19 after taking a test on Tuesday, February 8.
"Coach Putu got a positive result when he did the PCR test, he really didn't feel well during the last match," Feras said as quoted from PSS Sleman's official website.
With the absence of Putu Gede in the match against Persib, the vacant position of the interim coach will be filled by Guntur Cahyo Utomo as assistant coach.
Besides Putu Gede, there are a number of PSS coaching staff who have also been exposed to COVID-19, this causes the team to only be accompanied by Guntur in tonight's match.
Realizing the head coach's unfit condition, Feras admitted that this greatly affected the team's preparations. Therefore, he hopes that the supporters can continue to pray for the coach's condition to recover soon.
"Of course this is detrimental, because the coaching team is very important for the team's preparation going forward against Persib. We ask for prayers from Sleman fans so that they recover quickly," said Feras.
Meanwhile in the Persib camp, they also ensured that tonight's match would not be accompanied by Rene Alberts, but by the goalkeeping coach, Luizinho Passos.
Persib has gone through a similar situation first because the COVID-19 storm only left a goalkeeper coach who was fit to accompany the team to compete.
Passos said he was not worried about the team because the players had understood the coach's directions. He admitted that Robert was still monitoring the team's progress during the quarantine.
"I helped the team to explain the program that has been carried out by Coach Robert and other team staff. For the match later I think all the players are ready," said Passos quoted from the club's official website.
Although he did not accompany the team directly, Passos said that Robert would still take part in the match. Including determining the rotation of players and deciding which players will play as the starting eleven.
"We continue to communicate on the pitch and I think that's an important thing. This is the second time I've helped the team on the pitch," said Passos.
This match against PSS Sleman will be the second stage for Passos to accompany Maung Bandung on the field after five Persib coaching staff were declared infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately, in the previous match Persib got a minor result because they were defeated by Bhayangkara FC by a narrow score of 0-1 last week. then.
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