West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil expressed concern over the detection of 17 COVID-19 cases in the Persib Bandung squad, among both players and officials, and appealed to the whole community to learn from the situation.
The detection of COVID-19 cases in the football team led to the postponement of their Indonesian League 1 match against PSM Makassar, which was scheduled to take place in Bali, Wednesday, on February 2, 2022, as the Maung Bandung squad failed to meet the minimum threshold to compete, he noted.
“A lesson for all of us; progress is very important; not only during the match, but outside the match,” Kamil remarked at Pakuan State Building, Bandung, on Thursday.
“The activities of players and officials after the match are the responsibility of the team,” he added.
Calling the episode regrettable, the governor said he hoped that everyone on the team who had been exposed to COVID-19 would recover soon.
“It will disappoint everyone. Because the only sport that unites us is football, and especially Persib, the pride of (its supporters) in the (entire) world, is highly anticipated,” he added.
“I pray that all players and officials who are positive for COVID-19 recover quickly and the virus does not spread further in the Persib team,” he said.
He also appealed to the team’s fans and supporters to stay calm regarding the suspension of the match, saying he was quite sure that the team had shown good improvement lately and had the potential to win, considering that they were in fourth place in the standings with 43 points, only 4 points adrift of Arema F.C., with one game remaining.
“Winning is the trend. However, there must be consistency in formulating the team. I say everywhere, if you already have the winning team, don’t change it too much,” he remarked.
The governor also reminded the public to follow the health protocols during their activities, as well as maintain mental health.
“So, take care of mental health, too. Let’s look for sources of happiness in the midst of situations that make a lot of people unhappy. One of them (is to talk to) family, follow (jokes, memes) accounts to (assist in) increasing immunity,” he advised.
Source: Antara News