“This is a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When else will the Argentina national soccer team come here?” Bayu told The Jakarta Post before the Indonesia vs. Argentina FIFA Matchday game on Monday.

Bayu is one of tens of thousands of Indonesian supporters who had scored a rare opportunity to see the national team play against 2022 FIFA World Cup champion Argentina in the nation’s capital.

The excitement in the stands was palpable, and soccer fans heaped praise on Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chairman Erick Thohir for putting together the big event.

Its success is likely to increase his chances at being nominated as a vice presidential candidate in the 2024 elections.

The Indonesian squad, in fit form after winning the gold medal for men’s soccer at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, hosted La Albiceleste at the Main Stadium of Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Jakarta, packed with nearly 60,000 spectators.

The Merah Putih (Red and White) put up a strong defense as they held off a barrage of attacks by Argentina’s forwards, who played without famed striker Lionel Messi and other top players, including Ángel Di María and Nicolás Otamendi. The Indonesia squad also created several chances from counterattacks throughout the 90-minute match but in the end, was bested 0-2.

Regardless of Indonesia’s loss and Messi’s absence, the buzz around the national team was highly positive, with fans cheering their team both on-site and on social media. Many were happy that the Indonesia team had improved drastically since State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir was elected PSSI chairman in February.

“I think that compared to the previous PSSI chairman, there’s been a significant improvement under Erick Thohir’s leadership,” Alfito Panji Dewangga, a 22-year-old university student, said on the sidelines of the match.

Erick, a former president of top-flight Italian soccer club Inter Milan, has garnered wide praise for his efforts to revitalize the national soccer industry during the first four months of his term. According to local soccer fans, his achievements range from Team Garuda emerging as the 2023 SEA Games men’s soccer champion to bringing World Cup champion Argentina to Indonesia.

“His link with the Bundesliga [German soccer league] is also worth noting,” Bayu added. He was referring to the PSSI’s collaboration with German soccer officials to supercharge local clubs’ technical prowess and improve the Indonesian league’s infrastructure.

But it’s still early days yet, and Erick’s tenure has not been without its hiccups: In March, world soccer body FIFA stripped Indonesia of its hosting rights to this year’s U-20 World Cup over widespread local resistance to the Israeli team’s participation. This led to the Indonesia U-20 squad losing its automatic qualification to Argentina, which took over the youth tournament’s hosting duties.

“Getting our hosting gig canceled and our team booted out of the U-20 World Cup sucked, but [our] SEA Games win kind of healed that wound already,” Bayu said.

Rising star?

Erick’s poise at the helm of one of the nation’s most notorious sports associations has increased his popularity among youths, according to recent opinion polls.

After emerging as a strong potential contender for vice president with an electability of 14.5 percent in a February survey from Indikator Politik Indonesia, the businessman-turned-bureaucrat topped the pollster’s May survey with 15.5 percent to beat out front-runner West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil.

“The PSSI has been so good under Erick, and it would be better if he became vice president,” Daydi Sudirman, who hails from Medan, North Sumatra, told the Post at the stadium on Monday.

He also expressed his belief that Erick’s track record showed how efficient he would be as vice president, while four of his friends from Medan nodded in agreement.

“My hope is only for Indonesia to rise even higher, and I think he could help [with that],” Daydi enthused.

Meanwhile, other soccer fans seemed reluctant to throw their weight behind Erick on the political stage.

“I don’t know yet if I would vote for him, because being vice president is an entirely different playing field from [chairing] the PSSI,” R.F. Gultom, a soccer fan from South Jakarta, said on Monday.

However, he was not wholly dismissive of the minister’s potential.

“As long as the national team still brings in a lot of achievements, the PSSI still stays afloat and soccer and politics can be separated, then it’s fine,” Gultom said.

Taufiq, 42, also shares this sentiment, and bases Erick’s nomination chances on his ability to focus on the future of Indonesian soccer.

“The whole vice presidential candidacy is up to him, as long as the PSSI continues to be excellent,” said the father of two, who attended Monday’s game with family and friends from East Belitung, Bangka Belitung Islands province.

While Bayu preferred to remain “neutral” due to his job as a civil servant, he would consider supporting Erick for the minister’s pro-youth drive.

“If he’s up for it, why not? We must include contributions from the younger generation and the way I see it, that’s the route Pak Erick is taking,” he said.

“If you look at the national team as it is today, there is a good cycle of regeneration and a lot of young players,” Bayu added.

Politics aside, some soccer enthusiasts want to see more from Erick in terms of improving the sport.

“Yes, we’re doing well so far, but don’t make this the peak [of progress],” Azharico from South Jakarta told the Post on Monday.

“If possible, he needs to bring in more innovation for Indonesia’s soccer industry.”