Persebaya Surabaya are to report PSS Sleman midfielder Wahyudi Hamisi to the Football Federation of Indonesia (PSSI) for his “barbaric act” of kicking Bruno Moreira’s head during the two sides’ Liga 1 Indonesia clash on Sunday.
The incident occurred in the first half of the match at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, with Persebaya leading 1-0 following Muhammad Iqbal’s goal in the 13th second. Bruno, the Bajul Ijo‘s winger, was lying on the ground following a challenge from a PSS player, with the ball rolling near his head. In the heat of the moment, Wahyudi lunged forward, striking the back of Bruno’s head with his boot as he attempted to reach the nearby ball.
Almost immediately the match erupted into chaos, with Yan Victor leading his Persebaya teammates in confronting Wahyudi and his PSS counterparts over the kick. The two sides scuffled briefly, forcing the referee to book Yan, Wahyudi, and PSS defender Nur Diansyah.
Despite receiving the full force of Wahyudi’s kick to the back of his head, Bruno recovered swiftly and managed to finish the entirety of the match, even scoring a 30th minute penalty that ended up being Persebaya’s winning goal.
In response to the incident, Persebaya have reported Wahyudi to the PSSI, calling the player “barbaric” in a statement posted on their social media channels whilst citing another incident in 2018 involving Wahyudi and another Persebaya player, Robertino Pugliara. Back then, Wahyudi, who at the time was a Borneo FC Samarinda player, performed a horrific tackle on Robertino that broke his leg and subsequently ended his career.
Persebaya, through their official Instagram account @officialpersebaya, stated, “Hamisi’s kick was deliberately aimed at Bruno’s head, not the ball.” Persebaya emphasized the danger of Hamisi’s actions, noting that kicking the back of the head could result in traumatic brain injury, leading to disability or even death. The Persebaya’s management will conduct further examinations on Bruno to ensure his well-being.
The Bajul Ijo‘s protest was received by the PSSI’s secretary general Yunus Nusi, who said that Wahyudi should be punished severely for such conduct.
“I happened to watch the match between Persebaya and PSS. We deeply regret the incident,” said Yunus, as quoted from Bola.net, “We have coordinated with the Referee Committee, Rudi Yulianto. We hope there will be an evaluation, including severe sanctions against the player.”
Wahyudi himself has apologized to Bruno as well as the public, so were the PSS management, before the latter downplayed the incident and stated that Persebaya’s protest was a form of “overreaction.”