Persebaya Surabaya foreign winger , Bruno Moreira, is disappointed with the postponement of BRI Liga 1 2023/2024. In fact, he is excited about the remaining four matches.
Previously, PSSI and PT LIB decided that League 1 would be postponed starting in the 31st week, Saturday (30/3/2024). The initial League 1 schedule previously stipulated that the competition would finish at the end of April 2024.
With this postponement, the last four weeks of matches will probably not be held until May 2024.
“We focused on the competition, but PSSI decided to stop the league. We are not happy with this decision, but we are waiting,” said the Persebaya Surabaya winger from Brazil.
The Situation May Change
Bruno’s contract with Persebaya Surabaya will expire at the end of April 2024. This means that the situation will become increasingly difficult for clubs considering that many of their players’ contracts will expire at the end of this month.
“Same as the others. At the end of April (the contract) will be finished. So, we are waiting for the decision,” he said.
“Because if we play in May, many players will not have contracts so it will be difficult for clubs to continue playing the league without their players’ contracts. So, we hope the situation can be changed,” added the 24 year old player.
Supporting the U-23 Indonesian National Team
PSSI’s decision came about in order to be able to hold the U-23 Indonesian National Team TC in preparation for the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. The TC agenda starts on April 1 2024, while the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup will take place from April 15 to May 3 2024 in Qatar.
This decision was made so that League 1 clubs would be willing to release their players to the U-23 Indonesian National Team. Clubs are allowed to refuse to release their players because the tournament is not an official FIFA agenda.
Moreover, coach Shin Tae-yong is burdened with the target of qualifying for the top 8 by PSSI. This target is a condition for Shin Tae-yong to be able to get an extension to his contract which will expire at the end of June 2024.
Club Cancels Training Schedule
:strip_icc():format(webp)/kly-media-production/medias/3484019/original/091613100_1623822937-3.jpg)
In that tournament, the U-23 Indonesian National Team will enter Group A which contains strong teams. Among them are hosts Qatar, Australia and Jordan, and only two teams have qualified from the group phase.
Several other League 1 clubs decided to give the team their routine training schedule. However, Persebaya coach, Paul Munster, stated that his team would continue training until there was certainty about the competition schedule.
“We hope to be able to play, but we are waiting for a decision whether it will change or not. We hope that PSSI will change things because it is not good to only play in May. So, let’s see what they say,” said Bruno.
Crucial Match
This situation meant that Persebaya Surabaya was taken off the team agenda for two days on Sunday (31/3/2024) and Monday (1/4/2024). After that, the Bajul Ijo Team continued to hold training by starting to train again at THOR Field, Surabaya, Tuesday (2/4/2024) evening WIB.
The remaining four matches that League 1 clubs will face are crucial moments. There are those who are struggling to avoid relegation, there are also those who are trying to enter the championship series.
Persebaya Surabaya will face the remaining matches which are quite tough because they face top teams in the remaining four matches. They are Dewa United, Persib Bandung, Bali United, and Persik Kediri.