Dec. 28, p. 2
Should politics and sports be kept separate? If you are talking about Indonesian soccer, then I can hear very loud voices in the national stadium and online communities expressing their frustration with politicians and leaders over their interference in our sport.
In the recent past, interference in Indonesian politics by businessmen or interference in Indonesian businesses by politicians (the difference is confusingly subtle) resulted in the replacement of our then well-respected finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati from the Cabinet on the pretext of the Bank
Century scandal. Now, at the height of soccer fever in Indonesia, the interference of politicians has also resulted in a disappointing performance by the national team.
Indonesia has entered its fourth AFF Suzuki Cup final. Instead of focusing on centralized training, the national team was requested to conduct various activities not related to soccer, such as dinners, praying together and meeting leaders and politicians.
A centralized training period should be dedicated to training, practice and observing strict diets.
Attending social events or non-soccer related activities obviously breaches professional sports routine.
Lost concentration on the field and off has resulted in a major setback for national team as Indonesia was soundly defeated 3-0 by Malaysia. (By Lin Che Wei, Jakarta)
Your comments:
Thank you, Lin Che Wei, for your transparent approach. They should allow the coach to control the team.
Tasrif Ismail
Singapore
Isn’t sportsmanship built on honesty and integrity? Of course, that is a commodity. We as a country are very much short of and, unfortunately, taking the “curry-favoring shortcut” has by now become so deeply ingrained in our culture that we can no longer take a bow after losing at anything!
Shame, that is all that is left for all to see.
Henry Manoe
Kupang
I am sure millions of soccer-loving Indonesians share your opinion. What most of our leaders, Indonesian politicians and fellow Indonesians really need to learn is not to use dishonest means and brute force to reach their goals, but to value fair play, to be ksatria (chivalrous) and to lose without
complaining and win without crowing.
That’s what people who have real character and maturity do, anyway. I very sincerely hope that Jakarta will not be torn apart by hooliganism and riots immediately when the final game of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup soccer championship ends there.
Tami Koestomo
Bogor
