The Commissioner of PT Bermartabat expressed his disappointment with the referee’s leadership in the match between Persib Bandung and Dewa United. He assessed that the match result was influenced by controversial decisions that disadvantaged his team.
Umuh Muchtar emphasized that Persib Bandung should have been able to secure a victory. He even mentioned that his team was in a leading position before the match ended in a draw.
“We have no choice, there are still six more matches. I have given motivation, we must win, not draw, let alone lose. The Persib Bandung players played well, but what happened yesterday was very regrettable,” said Umuh Muchtar.
According to Umuh Muchtar, Persib Bandung did not lose due to the quality of the opponent’s play, but rather because of the referee’s decisions. He highlighted a goal that occurred after the ball was considered to have gone out of play, as well as another goal that was deemed to involve a handball violation.
“We should have been 2-0, but instead it ended in a draw. We even felt like we lost. This is not a loss to Dewa United, but a loss to the referee. The ball was already out of play. The second goal was also clearly handball, 100 percent,” said Umuh Muchtar.
He also questioned the failure to use Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in that crucial moment. In his opinion, replays could have provided clarity on the decisions made on the field.
“We have VAR, but it wasn’t used. Why wasn’t it opened? There are millions watching, not a few. It should have been seen clearly,” said Umuh Muchtar.
Furthermore, Umuh Muchtar considered the referee’s response to protests from Persib Bandung players to be unfair. He stated that players easily received yellow cards when expressing their objections.
Going forward, Umuh Muchtar hopes similar incidents will not recur. He even admitted he is ready to take firm action if he sees decisions that harm Persib Bandung again.
“If it happens again, I will go down to the field. Let me be punished, there will be a trial later and the issue will be explained. Don’t let this cause a riot,” Umuh Muchtar asserted.
He also asked relevant parties, including the referee oversight task force, to intervene. According to him, the quality of referee leadership must be a serious concern to maintain the image of Indonesian football.
“I am very angry, because this is bad for Indonesia’s name. If we lose fairly, we accept it. But if not, this must be corrected,” concluded Umuh Muchtar.
A total of 3,823 teachers and education staff in West Java have not received their salaries for the past two months, March to April 2026, even though the budget has been prepared by the Provincial Government of West Java. Payment is stalled due to regulations from the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform that limit disbursement for non-civil servant staff.
The Governor of West Java, Dedi Mulyadi, familiarly called KDM, confirmed that he will soon meet the Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform to discuss the fate of thousands of honorary workers who have not received salaries for the past two months. Although the budget is available, payment is stalled due to regulations from the central government.
Responding to the polemic of honorary salaries within the West Java Provincial Government environment that cannot yet be disbursed, KDM emphasized that the main issue is not budget availability, but rather a circular letter from the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform prohibiting payment to honorary workers under certain conditions.
“The money is there, it has been allocated. But
