Persija versus Borneo FC: Pesut Etam highlights congested schedule during Ramadan
Borneo FC manager Fabio Lefundes has expressed frustration regarding the match fixtures set by I.League, the league operator, for the Super League 2025-2026 season during Ramadan 2026.
According to Lefundes, the fixture schedule established by I.League has matches scheduled too closely together. For example, Pesut Etam, the nickname of Borneo FC, plays every four days since Ramadan began on 19 February.
Lefundes questioned why the close fixture scheduling was applied specifically during Ramadan. Outside of Ramadan, the schedule runs normally with five to seven days between matches.
“Regarding the calendar, the schedule during Ramadan – because in normal months we play every five or seven days, why during Ramadan must we play every three or four days?” Lefundes said at a press conference ahead of the match against Persija at Jakarta International Stadium on Monday, 2 February 2026.
“Because this is also related to player energy. You know the majority of players are fasting,” he explained.
Lefundes added that this complaint was not raised solely for Borneo’s benefit. All clubs face this condition.
“This schedule issue is not just for Borneo; all teams have seasonal players. And that could collide with player performance and perhaps in the future they could arrange the schedule better,” he said.
The match against Persija Jakarta is also expected to be closely contested owing to the poor condition of the pitch at Jakarta International Stadium (JIS).
“In our last match, we faced them in Samarinda. In my view, we both played a very good match,” said the former Persita Tangerang coach.
“And for tomorrow, which might be more difficult for both teams, you can see how the pitch condition is. But this, for both Borneo and Persija, is not very good,” he explained.
The Persija Jakarta versus Borneo FC match will take place at JIS in Jakarta on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. The fixture will determine which team claims the runner-up position in the current standings.
Persija currently occupies second place with 50 points, whilst Borneo sits one position below with 49 points.