Indonesia seek to release player from quarantine for Vietnam game

CNN Indonesia reported that Ambassador Suryo Pratomo had contacted the Ministry of Health of Singapore on Tuesday so Baggott could play Vietnam. The result of the negotiations has not been revealed.

Indra Sjafri, technical director of the Football Association of Indonesia, was not happy when Baggott had to be quarantined on Sunday.

"All team activities only occurred inside the hotel, training ground and stadium. We are so sorry to see Baggott in quarantine. Singapore made the decision Sunday. We have made a proposal to let Baggott play Vietnam," Sjafri said.

Baggott entered Singapore on Dec. 8 from London. Four days later, he played in the second half of the game between Indonesia and Laos. But on Sunday, he was requested to enter quarantine for five days after it was discovered he had shared the flight with an Omicron carrier. The young defender can only return to training on Dec. 18, one day before Indonesia's last group stage game against Malaysia.

In Singapore, Baggott has taken the Covid-19 PCR test three times, with the results all negative. Therefore, the decision to quarantine him has received criticism from Indonesian fans.

Baggott is a product of English club Ipswich Town. The 19-year-old has an impressive height of 1.94 meters. He only played his first game for Indonesia in November.

Vietnam will play Indonesia at 7:30 p.m. (Hanoi time) on Wednesday. The match will be reported live on VnExpress International.