The truth about the Indonesian club firing the Philippine player in the middle of the 2024 AFF Cup

Madura United (Indonesia) terminated the contract with Christian Rontini - the Philippine national team player on December 22. The announcement was made less than a day after the Philippine team eliminated Indonesia from the 2024 AFF Cup (ASEAN Cup). This made fans suspect that Madura United fired Rontini to punish the Filipino player.

Christian Rontini only joined Madura United in July, meaning he has been with the Indonesian club for less than half a year. The Philippines international played for about 20 minutes in the match against Indonesia in the group stage of the 2024 AFF Cup after coming on as a substitute. In this match, the Philippines won 1-0 and took second place in the group from Indonesia.

Rontini is a Filipino player.

However, according to Indonesian media, Madura United's early termination of Rontini's contract is not surprising. This player was not appreciated by the Indonesian club. He only played 6 matches (in the first 16 rounds of the season), including 4 times coming off the bench.

Rontini’s presence at the AFF Cup from the start is also a sign that Madura United does not need this player. The Indonesian Championship still takes place at the same time as the 2024 AFF Cup, and Indonesian clubs do not even give up players for the national team. This is also one of the reasons why coach Shin Tae-yong is forced to use the U21 squad at the AFF Cup.

However, Madura United is willing to let Rontini return to serve the Philippine team for the entire training session. He is on the list of players registered for all 4 group stage matches.

In addition, Madura United terminated the contracts of more than 30 players in the past half year. The difficult financial situation is one of the reasons why this team has to "renew" its force. After the club's president, Achanul Qosasi, was arrested for investigation into corruption, most of the sponsors of last season terminated their contracts, causing Madura United to fall into a difficult situation.

Indonesian media also reported that Rontini is still playing in the national championship after leaving Madura United. Several clubs have contacted the Filipino player. Rontini is also the son-in-law of former naturalized striker Christian Gonzales who played for the Indonesian national team.

Xiao Ming

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/su-that-vu-clb-indonesia-duoi-viec-tuyen-thu-philippines-giua-aff-cup-2024-ar916109.html