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Indonesians are proud of national team: Jokowi
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (center), flanked by Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi (fifth left) and Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) head Edy Rahmayadi (fifth right), pose with the Indonesian national soccer team who just arrived from Thailand, at Merdeka Place on Dec. 19. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has shown his appreciation to all players and staff of the national soccer team, fondly known as Team Garuda, for their hard work during the AFF Suzuki Cup, in which they made the finals.
The national team beat Thailand in the first leg of the finals but lost the return leg on Saturday, and on aggregate overall.
The President said in a statement on Monday that even though the team did not emerge as champions of the ASEAN tournament, the Indonesian people were still proud of the fighting spirit shown by the team.
Read also: Thailand wins AFF Cup, beats Indonesia 2-0
The president welcomed the players and staff to a dinner at Merdeka Palace on Monday evening.
“I want to convey my highest regards and appreciation to all the players, the coaches, the PSSI [Indonesian Soccer Association], and Team Garuda. Although we did not succeed in bringing the AFF Cup 2016, the fighting spirit and hard work shown by all the players made us all feel proud. All Indonesian people who watched [the match] that night gave their utmost support,” Jokowi said according to a statement sent by the Presidential Press Bureau.
During the dinner, the President highlighted that despite the diverse background of the team’s players, the team showed unity. “We can see that Team Garuda is able to unite our nation, demonstrate strength and unity and show our unity in diversity. Pluralism and diversity are our sources of strength,” he said. (evi)
