REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- PSSI continues to be committed to improving the quality of football competitions in Indonesia. In January, the PSSI Referee Committee brought in two Asian-level referees from South Korea and the Philippines to officiate matches in League 1 and League 2.

The move was conveyed through social media owned by PSSI and also LIB as the operator of football leagues in the country. There were two foreign referees in January presiding over League 1 and League 2 matches, as well as plans for the rest of February to bring in referees from Singapore.

“PSSI Entering 2025, the PSSI Referee Committee has presented two international referees, Ko Hyung-jin and Clifford Daypuyat to preside over the @liga1match and @liga2match matches,” the PSSI and LIB accounts wrote.

Ko Hyung-jin led matches in Liga 1 a number of matches namely Dewa United vs Arema FC (1/1/2025), Borneo FC vs Semen Padang (14/1/2025), Persebaya Surabaya vs Madura United (17/1/2025) and Persija Jakarta vs Persita Tangerang (19/1/2025).

Meanwhile, Filipino referee Clifford Daypuyat led the Liga 2 matches namely Deltras Sidoarjo vs PSPS Pekanbaru (31/1/2025), Adhyaksa FC vs Bekasi City (4/2/2025), Bhayangkara Precision vs Persela Lamongan (7/2/2025) and Persiku Kudus vs Persibo Bojonegoro (9/2/2025).

In addition to the task of leading the match, the presence of the elite AFC referees is also a learning event for the referees of the country to add experience and improve the quality of the match in the Indonesia League.

The PSSI will also bring in foreign referees for the remainder of this February. According to the PSSI and LIB pages, the next foreign referees to be assigned in the remainder of February are Singapore's Muhammad Taqi and Clarence Leow.

The presence of foreign referees holding AFC licenses is expected to reduce or minimize decisions deemed detrimental. This step can also be a learning lesson for Indonesian referees.

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