Disayangkan, Banyak Anggota Timnas Gabung Klub Indonesia. Kualitas Tak Bakal Maju, Malah Bisa Mundur

BANDUNG – The large number of Indonesian national team members playing in the Super League is regrettable, as the league's quality remains low. This is likely due to their failure to secure a club abroad, as was the case with Thom Haye. Previously, Rafael Struick joined Dewa United, and Jordi Amat also joined Persija.

They should have learned from the much better leagues abroad. The Super League still has a rough style of play, and the foreign players are not exemplary. They are rude and prone to throwing tantrums at both referees and fellow players. Just look at the barbaric actions of Arema player Pauinho, who hit national team member Ole Romeny in the leg. This is very detrimental to the national team, as Ole may not be able to play for the fourth round.

However, former Indonesian U-23 national team coach Rahmad Darmawan said he had no problem with Indonesian national team player Thom Haye continuing his career in the BRI Super League by joining Persib Bandung. Haye, who spent about a decade playing in the Dutch top flight (Eredivisie), has chosen Persib as his new home at the age of 30.

Many criticized his decision to start his career in the Indonesian League, the 25th-ranked league in Asia, too early. On the other hand, he was still considered capable of competing in Europe's top leagues. "That was a choice because Thom Haye, too, perhaps, considered his age. Then, he made that decision. So, he made the right decision," Rahmad said when met by reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"Regarding whether the competition feels lower, that can be anticipated by giving your best in every match. So, there's no harm in Thom Haye playing here," he said. Haye becomes the third senior Indonesian national team player to choose a career in the Super League this season, following Rafael Struick at Dewa United and Jordi Amat at Persija Jakarta.

Last season, the player nicknamed "The Professor" continued to feature regularly for his club Almere City, making 29 Eredivisie appearances, 25 of which were as a starter and providing two assists. "So, I think, again, at this stage of the season, what the players need is to maintain their performance by playing as much as possible in competitions," said the 58-year-old former coach who won three Indonesian Cup titles for Sriwijaya FC.

Rahmad further mentioned two positive aspects of Haye's arrival at Persib. According to him, the first is the improvement in the quality of play in the Super League, which Haye's arrival will further enhance. "I mentioned earlier that in the three matches I saw in our Super League competition yesterday, there was remarkable improvement. Especially in terms of intensity. And this is an indication of what the upcoming competition will be like," Rahmad said.

Secondly, Haye's arrival will have a positive impact on the Indonesian national team. The Garuda team will soon play two FIFA Match Day matches at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, against Taiwan on September 5 and Lebanon on September 8. "When the national team's training camp is held, there's never enough time. The problem is always how to maximize the four days, not just for the match, but also for their recovery  ," said Rahmad.

"Now that they're playing here, it's certainly a  more ideal recovery period  for them. Furthermore, the atmosphere and adaptation to various aspects of our weaknesses will be eliminated by them playing in Indonesia," he said.