Persija vs Brisbane Roar: STY Reunites with His Former Club, Jordi Amat Meets Valkanis

Persija Jakarta's international friendly fixture against Brisbane Roar will be hosted at Jakarta International Stadium (JIS), North Jakarta, on Saturday 29 August at 20.00 WIB. Beyond acting as a warm-up match ahead of the upcoming new season, this clash will also mark a long-awaited reunion moment for both Shin Tae-yong and Jordi Amat.

For Shin Tae-yong, Brisbane Roar occupies a special place in his professional journey. This Australian side was the final club he represented as an active professional player, before he hung up his boots in 2005.

After retiring from playing, Brisbane Roar was also the very first club that launched Shin's coaching career. He spent three full years working there as an assistant coach.

This is why the upcoming Persija vs Brisbane Roar fixture at JIS will give Shin the rare chance to face off once again against the club that formed the foundation of both major phases of his career: as a player, and as a coach.

Shin Tae-yong Reunites With Nam Tae-hee

Shin's reunions on matchday will not end with the club itself. He will also go up against attacking midfielder Nam Tae-hee, who currently plays for Brisbane Roar. Tae-hee previously played under Shin's management for the South Korea men's national team.

Per Transfermarkt records, Tae-hee earned 3 senior caps under Shin: both during Shin's interim national team tenure in August-September 2014, and later during Shin's permanent spell as head coach from July 2017 to July 2018.

"As a Korean athlete playing overseas, just like coach Shin Tae-yong did before me, I carry the responsibility to conduct my career properly, set a good example, and uphold the honour and pride of being Korean," the 35-year-old player stated during the pre-match press conference held at JIS on Friday.

With this shared history, the on-field meeting between Shin and Tae-hee will stand as one of the most compelling storylines of the friendly fixture.

Jordi Amat Meets Michael Valkanis

From Persija's camp, Jordi Amat will also experience his own reunion, with Michael Valkanis - the coach who previously managed him at Belgian top flight side KAS Eupen.

The 34-year-old centre back spent three full seasons at KAS Eupen, logging 86 competitive appearances for the club alongside 2 goals and 2 assists.

Valkanis first joined KAS Eupen as assistant coach in January 2022. One month later he was promoted to head coach, and held the position for four months.

Valkanis has openly expressed his joy at being able to reconnect with Jordi. He still remembers the defender as one of the most important players in the squad he managed.

As Valkanis noted, Jordi is far more than just a physically strong defensive centre back: he also possesses sharp technical ability to build attacking sequences from the back line.

"I still remember clearly the day he left the club at the end of the season to move to Indonesia. We spoke at the time. I knew about his Spanish upbringing, but also his Indonesian bloodline, and that this move was something he truly wanted, to come here and play for the national team," the Greek-Australian coach remarked.

Even though this is only an unofficial friendly match, Valkanis confirmed he has been eagerly anticipating this reunion with Jordi Amat.

"I sent him a message as soon as I confirmed we would travel here. I told him 'Hey, I can't wait to meet up and catch up with you again'. It really was such a genuine pleasure working with a player of Jordi Amat's calibre," he concluded.