Comments On Persija's Unconsidered Referee, RANS Manager Hamka Hamzah: VAR Emergency Indonesia

Manager of RANS Nusantara FC, Hamka Hamzah. (Photo: Instagram/@hamka23hamzah)

JAKARTA - RANS Nusantara FC manager Hamka Hamzah also commented on the controversy regarding the goal of Persija Jakarta player, Witan Sulaeman, who was not considered a referee. He said that national football competition needed the presence of video assistant referee (VAR).

The controversial incident occurred when Persija hosted RANS in the 16th week of Liga 1 2023/2024, at Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi on Sunday, October 22. In that match, RANS won 2-1.

The incident that caused Persija to protest took place in injury time. The ball that Witan Sulaeman kicked hit the bar and crossed the line before leaving the net again.

Referee who did not see the position of the ball because it was blocked by many players, made the decision not to approve the goal. He did not ask for an opinion from the referee's assistant first in deciding.

According to Hamka, the controversy would not have happened if Indonesia implemented VAR (Video Assistant Referee).

"Our football is already very emergency and requires VAR. As I said always, surely all teams will be harmed by the decisions of the referee," Hamka wrote on his Instagram quoted on Monday, October 23.

"Therefore, 'VAR' really helps the referee to make important decisions," he added.

The referee's decision in this match immediately heated the atmosphere. The reason is that from the many video recordings circulating, it was clear that the ball that Witan had released crossed the goal line, even after that the ball bounced back out of Rans' goal.

Although he had received strong protests from a number of Persija players on the field, the referee's decision did not change until the long whistle.

The controversial referee's attitude made Persija Jakarta coach Thomas Doll participate in protests at the end of the match. But his efforts did not change the results. Doll then chose silence as a form of disappointment with the referee's performance.