Indonesia national team regular Pratama Arhan suffered a horror debut to his K League 1 career after he was sent off just three minutes after coming on in Suwon FC’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Jeju United on Sunday.
Signs that Arhan would debut became evident when the Indonesia national team’s left-back was included in Suwon’s squad for the first time. Suwon head coach Kim Eun-jung then introduced Arhan in the 73rd minute of the match at Jeju World Cup Stadium. Unfortunately for Arhan, who made history as the first Indonesian player to appear in K League 1, his debut ended prematurely as he received a red card.
Arhan fouled Jeju defender Rim Chang-woo and following a VAR review, the former PSIS Semarang man was sent off by the referee for committing a serious foul.
This moment was highly anticipated by Arhan since he joined Suwon, having been announced as the club’s new signing in January 2024.
Arhan had been waiting for about five months without getting a chance to play. When the opportunity finally came, bad luck struck as he had to leave the field early due to the red card.
Jeju United won the match narrowly with a score of 1-0. Seo Jin-su’s lone goal secured three points for Jeju, lifting them out of the relegation zone to 7th place with 17 points.
Meanwhile, Suwon remained in 5th place with 21 points. Suwon had played 14 matches, resulting in six wins, three draws, and five losses.