The team has grown into a much better squad, drawing huge support from home fans and, to some extent, the country’s nationalist spirit.

Many agree the Garuda team’s performance in the recent AFF Suzuki Cup showed a surprisingly mature style, especially during the early rounds.  

When he started working with Indonesia’s team in April, the 61-year-old coach said “discipline and a strong willingness” in each player was key to building a solid team, and it was exactly what Riedl instilled in the Garuda team.

Despite finishing runner-up, Bambang Pamungkas and his teammates’ hard work during the tournament won them the public’s trust and gave people a reason to believe in Indonesian soccer again, after long, disappointing years.

Riedl has set the bar high for the red-and-white, as they prepare for Pre-Olympic tests and the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

“I want to reach the final at the Southeast Asian Games. We will aim to succeed in the Pre-Olympic and World Cup qualifications,” Riedl said on Saturday after holding a selection session for the Indonesian under-23 national team.

Born in 1949, Riedl kickstarted his soccer career when he was 12 years old at ATSV Teesdorf. He became a member of the Austria Wien soccer club in 1967. He then joined several clubs in Austria and Belgium, and was selected four times for the Austrian national team, making his debut in April 1975 against Hungary, before ending his career as striker in 1978.

As a coach, Riedl has trained many clubs and national teams, including Vietnam (2003-2004 and 2005-2007), Palestine (2004-2005) and Laos (2009-2010).

During his first visit to Vietnam, Riedl helped the national team finish second in the 2003 SEA Games. His Laotian team reached their first SEA Games semifinal round in 2009, which brought him a better knowledge of the Southeast Asian soccer map.

Riedl is famous for the strict discipline he applies in training sessions and selecting players for this U-23 team.

During the month-long AFF tournament, for example, Riedl complained about the media’s overbearing coverage which deprived players of good rest and prevented them from being focused.

He forbid his boys from holding exclusive interviews with media at their hotel. They were only allowed to interact with media after the tournament.

In terms of training, he urged the team to be focused when practicing, forbidding them to leave the pitch without his permission.

Riedl’s imposed various punishments, starting from simple pushups to penalties.

Indonesia’s U-23 player Oktovianus Maniani and Yongki Aribowo praised their coach’s leadership.

“Riedl is very disciplined, on and off the pitch,” said Oktovianus.

Meanwhile, Yongki said Riedl was successful in bringing harmony and togetherness within the team.

“Those are very important values in a squad.”

In terms of selecting his U-23 players, Riedl has had no qualms about rejecting unqualified players — including those with experience in Europe and the US — such as Andrea Bitar (France), James Zaidan Saragih (US), Arthur Irawan (UK) and Vincent Partosubroto (Netherlands).

“Vincent is out. He failed to show his potential,” said Riedl in a recent selection session.

Moreover, Riedl also turned down one of Indonesia’s new soccer stars, Irfan Haarys Bachdim.

Irfan, who was on the national team for the AFF Suzuki Cup, joined Persema of the Malang soccer club, a member of the Indonesian Premier League (LPI), which is a challenger to the FIFA-approved Indonesian Super League (ISL).  

“I will only list players [for the national team] who play in FIFA-recognized tournaments,” Riedl said.

Indeed, he is quite blunt in saying “no” for strategic reasons. Nevertheless, he is also very supportive of his boys and never puts them down in front of the media if they perform poorly.

Riedl is known as a coach who never blames one particular player for the team’s loss.

Following the Indonesian Soccer Association’s (PSSI) internal dispute regarding the ISL and challenger LPI, Riedl seemed eager to distance himself from the debate.

Indonesia will host the 26th SEA Games in Palembang in November.  

Matches against Turkmenistan in the 2012 AFC Men’s Pre-Olympic tournament are scheduled for February and March. The World Cup qualification test round should take place around mid-year.

Part of Riedl’s excellence stems from his strong will, which he demonstrated by voicing his objections against PSSI officials who tried to undermine his authority as head coach.

“I try to apply what I’ve done in the past — to be strict, honest and motivated. Follow my rules, or get out,” said the coach.

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