Indonesian capital may be Rogic’s next stop and there’s a twist in the tale
Former Celtic hero Tom Rogic could be teaming up in Indonesia next season with the Czech racist defender, Ondrej Kudela.
The Australian midfielder was surprisingly allowed to leave the Scottish champions at the end of the season to explore new challenges.
He then pulled out of Australia’s World Cup Playoff success after wins against United Arab Emirates and Peru saw them qualify for Qatar, citing personal reasons.
Rogic (right) has been offered a lucrative deal to play in Indonesia with current champions, Persija Jakarta, who are managed by former Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg boss, Thomas Doll.
The Socceroo has reportedly been given until the end of this week to make his decision.
But if he signs, one of his new team-mates will be the Czech veteran defender Kudela, who has signed for the Jakarta club from Slavia Prague.
The 35-year-old was banned for the racist abuse of Rangers midfielder, Glen Kamara, during a Europa League tie at
Ibrox, which caused the Czech internationalist to miss Euro 2020.
He finally dropped his longrunning appeal in April against his 10-match ban, imposed on him by UEFA, and apologised for approaching Kamara.
He also discovered that he would not face criminal charges in Scotland relating to the incident in the European confrontation in March last year.
Slavia Prague president, Jaroslav Tvrdík, revealed the case cost his club upwards of £500,000 in lawyers’ fees before he eventually dropped the appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
Kudela was released by Slavia, and opted to sign a two-year deal with Persija Jakarta. The Czech admitted: “I don’t know much about them, to be honest.
“I know the city has a population of 15 million, and the club has three million fans.
“They also play in a big stadium in the Indonesian capital.
“Of course, I’m looking forward to it. I’m curious what it’s like there.
“It will be something completely new, and a step into the unknown.”