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Future winning team
Looking at the big picture of Indonesian soccer, we see that the national team has often excelled at a young age but has run out of steam ironically when it reached what should be its peak form.
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Indonesian midfielder Sani Riski Fauzi (L) and forward Marinus Wanewar (R) kiss the championship trophy as the team celebrate after winning the AFF U-22 Cup 2019 finals football match between Indonesia and Thailand at the National Stadium in Phnom Penh on February 26, 2019. (AFP/TANG CHHIN Sothy)
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ifting the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Under-22 soccer championship trophy, as Indonesia’s lads did in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, is not only a great achievement in itself but also a welcome relief. No wonder the picture of the young squad celebrating its triumphant run appeared on the front page of most newspapers across the country.
Osvaldo Haay and his teammates deserve their privilege for several reasons. First, their victory is a rarity; it came after the country endured a long title drought in soccer. Second, the success came on the heels of the police’s investigation into allegedly rampant match-fixing and corrupt practices that have plagued the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI). Third, finishing on top is evidence beyond reasonable doubt that this fourth-most populous country in the world does not lack quality soccer talent.
Indonesia turned up for the tournament held in the Cambodian capital as an outsider. Although it won the Under-16 and Under-19 categories of the AFF championship in 2018 and 2013 respectively, Indonesia has long been regarded as an also-ran in the region. In its latest rankings the world soccer body FIFA places Indonesia lower than fellow ASEAN neighbors Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar.
Indonesia also got off to an unconvincing start, held to a draw in its first two group matches. Only when it beat the host to finish first in the group, did Indonesia dare to aim high. The 1-0 win over Vietnam in the semifinals and the come-from-behind 2-1 upset of defending champion Thailand in the final have taught us not to give up on our dreams for the national side whenever it plays.
The young team is an inspiration for the nation to uphold optimism regardless of the mounting challenges. As we know, the PSSI is facing a deficit in public trust following the crackdown on match-fixing, which has implicated key figures within the national soccer body. That the U-22 squad could put the crisis behind it while playing in the tournament is greatly to its credit.
There has been talk about giving the newly crowned team a chance to fill in for the national squad prepared for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Manila this November. While such expectations are valid, the SEA Games is a totally different field compared with junior tournaments like the AFF Under-22 Championship. It is therefore up to the national senior team manager Simon McMenemy to decide.
Looking at the big picture of Indonesian soccer, we see that the national team has often excelled at a young age but has run out of steam ironically when it reached what should be its peak form. There must be more than one explanation for this saddening paradox.
One of the culprits, as many have suspected, is the lure of money as a consequence of the perennial problem of individuals and syndicates who rig matches for their own profit at the expense of sportsmanship. The ongoing police investigations, therefore, deserve the support of all of us with the view that only a clean soccer body can produce a strong, winning team.
