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Kids looking to bloom amid national gloom
Attentive: National player Firman Utina (center) demonstrates his soccer skills during a coaching clinic at the Customs and Excise Soccer Stadium in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Thursday
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Attentive: National player Firman Utina (center) demonstrates his soccer skills during a coaching clinic at the Customs and Excise Soccer Stadium in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Thursday. The nine best young players of the 2015 MILO Soccer Championships were selected by a panel of judges to participate in a six-day program that comprises a coaching clinic and lessons on healthy living and nutrition.(Antara/Rosa Panggabean) (center) demonstrates his soccer skills during a coaching clinic at the Customs and Excise Soccer Stadium in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Thursday. The nine best young players of the 2015 MILO Soccer Championships were selected by a panel of judges to participate in a six-day program that comprises a coaching clinic and lessons on healthy living and nutrition.(Antara/Rosa Panggabean)
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span class="inline inline-center">Attentive: National player Firman Utina (center) demonstrates his soccer skills during a coaching clinic at the Customs and Excise Soccer Stadium in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Thursday. The nine best young players of the 2015 MILO Soccer Championships were selected by a panel of judges to participate in a six-day program that comprises a coaching clinic and lessons on healthy living and nutrition.(Antara/Rosa Panggabean)
At a soccer field in Rawangun, East Jakarta, nine schoolchildren looked determined as they participated in a coaching clinic on Thursday with the hope of breaking into professional play in the future.
They were honing their soccer skills under the tutelage of national and Persib Bandung player Firman Utina. The six-day training also includes lessons on injury, nutrition and lifestyle
'This is like a once in a lifetime opportunity to be trained by Firman, my favorite player,' Syahruddin, 12, one of the participants from Makassar, said.
He and fellow trainees had been chosen as the best players of the 2015 MILO soccer championships, a soccer championship for elementary students held in Jakarta, Medan (North Sumatra) and Makassar (South Sulawesi) from February to March.
Syahrudin, whose elementary school, SD Inpres Jipang Panujang, won the championship, said with soccer being his passion, he joined a soccer school managed by his physical education teacher.
'I want to play professionally someday,' he said, singling out Persib Bandung as his dream club to join.
Ironically, Syahrudin's dream for soccer stardom is not going down well with the current condition of national soccer, with Indonesia being isolated from international tournaments following a ban by world governing body FIFA.
The soccer crisis has also brought domestic competition to a halt.
Indonesian soccer has been suspended since April after a row between the youth and sports minister and the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) ended with the latter being frozen by the former.
The PSSI was suspended because it refused to follow the ministry's recommendation to exclude two clubs from Indonesia Super League over their legal eligibility.
The PSSI suspension was seen by FIFA as government interference. The ban means Indonesia is will not play in qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Asian Cup.
Asked about the current condition of national soccer, Syahruddin said he hoped for a revival in the future.
'I just hope that one day they can solve the problem and let domestic soccer competitions run again,' he said.
'While the soccer elites work out their problems, I will keep honing my skills so that I can achieve my dream of becoming a professional player one day,' he added.
Syahrudin's physical education teacher, Rustam, hailed the competition for young soccer players.
'We don't care about the soccer saga. These young enthusiasts can use their time to sharpen their skills.
'Besides, there are many private companies that hold soccer competitions for youngsters,' he said, adding that he was preparing his protégés to participate in another early-age soccer competition in December.
Firman hoped Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi and PSSI chairman La Nyalla Mattalitti could sit together to work things out without interference from other parties.
'That's the only way [...] rather than being dogged in the media circus,' he said.
He urged the elites to create a good environment for national soccer so that players could focus on improving their performance at the international level.
