Muhammad Hilmi Gimnastiar has become the unintentional star of the indonesian footballbut not because of his goals, but because a kick that looks like something out of a Bruce Lee movie. This PS Putrajaya Pasuruan midfielder, wearing number 23, played in … the fourth division until this weekend, in a match against Perseta 1970 Tulungagung, they opted for a meaningless ‘surprise attack’ that left everyone speechless.
The scene was as follows: minute 71, the score was 4-0 in favor of the visitors. The aforementioned player ignores the ball and, bam!, throws a kung fu style kick straight to the chest of his rival, Firman Nugraha. Poor Firman falls flat, as if he’d been given an uppercut by Rocky Balboa, needing oxygen and a trip to the hospital. The video went viral, as it could not be otherwise, on every viral platform worth its salt: “That’s not football, it’s Mortal Kombat!”has some comment.
The response was not long in coming. The disciplinary committee of the East Java Football Association (Asprov PSSI Jawa Timur) unleashed its heavy artillery: lifetime ban from professional footballa fine of 2,500,000 rupees (about $27,800, more than the annual salary of many in that league) and immediate termination of contract.
The president of the committee, Samiadji Makin Rahmat, explained it clearly: “This violates the spirit of sport and puts lives in danger.” PS Putrajaya, embarrassed, publicly apologized to the rival, and the match ended 7-2, but no one remembers the goals, only that aerial somersault. Crossing cables is unjustifiable.
